Following the resignation speech of Boris Johnson as prime minister of this country, the Muslim Council of Britain’s Secretary-General Zara Mohammed said:
“The resignation of the prime minister comes at a delicate moment for our country: a cost-of-living crisis, international turmoil and deep divisions here in the UK. It is now time to reset our politics and restore trust and integrity in our democracy.
The many crises we faced under the tenure of Boris Johnson were only a symptom of toxic British politics which marginalises minorities and punishes the most vulnerable in society. Over the years the Muslim Council of Britain has shown how Muslims in particular, have been demonised and viewed through the prism of security, distrust, and ridicule. Before becoming Prime Minister, Boris Johnson mocked Muslim women, causing an upsurge in Islamophobic attacks, and yet, the Tories chose him as a leader without censure; underlining how Islamophobia is rife in the Conservative Party and in politics in general.
As Prime Minister, Boris Johnson presided over broken promises of action after the Singh report. He made no progress in adopting a definition of Islamophobia. He ignored calls for a genuinely independent inquiry into Prevent. He remained silent as a Muslim MP alleged that she was denied promotion on account of her Muslimness. Parties were taking place at Number 10 as COVID-19 ripped through families and communities, whilst multi-million-pound PPE contracts were awarded to friends and donors.
Yet, there is no apology, not even a hint of contrition from the outgoing Prime Minister in his resignation speech. This just scratches the surface of why there was a crisis of confidence in Boris Johnson’s leadership, and more widely, in politics today.
Ms. Mohammed further added: “We need to heal the divisions of the last few years and work to ease the difficulties faced by British people today. This also demands a new approach towards minority communities, one which no longer allows bigotry to go unchecked, which builds bridges with communities and repairs the distrust and damage caused by Boris Johnson’s tenure as Prime Minister.”
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