Nusrat Ghani claimed a government whip told her that her Muslim faith was “making colleagues feel uncomfortable” when she was sacked from her transport minister job in 2020 during a mini-reshuffle.
In an explosive interview, the MP for Wealden suggested she had not pursued the matter at the time after being warned she would face being “ostracised by colleagues” and her “career and reputation would be destroyed”.
But yesterday, a No 10 spokesperson revealed Mr Johnson had met with Nusrat Ghani in the summer of 2020 over the allegations and later “wrote to her expressing his concern and inviting her to begin a formal complaint process”.
The spokesperson added: “She did not subsequently do so. The Conservative Party does not tolerate prejudice or discrimination of any kind.”
Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, echoed the comments on Sky News, saying there will not be a “specific investigation” into Ms Ghani’s “incredibly serious” allegations – denied by the chief whip, Mark Spencer – until a formal complaint has been made by the MP.
This story is from the January 24, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the January 24, 2022 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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