UK leader Sunak criticizes lawmaker’s attack on London’s mayor and denies his party is anti-Muslim

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says a Conservative lawmaker was wrong to say the mayor of London is controlled by Islamists. Sunak also denied the governing party tolerates anti-Muslim prejudice. Sunak is under pressure to condemn Islamophobia after the comments by Lee Anderson. The Conservative Party’s group in Parliament suspended Anderson for saying Islamists had “got control” of Khan and the city of London. Sunak said on Monday that “these comments weren’t acceptable, they were wrong.” He said the party didn’t have a wider problem with Islamophobia. The opposition Labour Party, to which the mayor belongs, said the Conservatives must go further to tackle prejudice.