The BBC is today engulfed in controversy after it emerged they allowed an anti-Semetic Imam and a former Labour party worker to appear on the Tory leadership debate.
Abdullah patel, who probed the contenders vying to be the next PM on Islamophobia was today exposed as an anti-Semite who posted messages praising Jeremy Corbyn and blaming women for rape.
It later emerged that Aman Thakar, from London was Labour Party council candidate in 2018 in Southwark, and even worked in Labour HQ.
The corporation today refused to apologise and said the tweets were ‘not visible’ when they vetted him – however it has emerged that he was tweeting from the account just two days before the debate.
The series of vile posts by Patel were exposed moments after the debate on BBC One, in which he asked the Tory MPs on their views on Islamophobia and whether they believed ‘words have consequences.’
The corporation today refused to apologise and said the tweets were ‘not visible’ when they vetted him – however it has emerged that he was tweeting from the account just two days before the debate.
Today Yakub Patel, Chair of Al-Madani Education Trust which runs Al-Ashraf Primary School in Gloucester, where Patel is a deputy headteacher said he had been suspended.
In a statement, he said: ‘Following some of the comments attributed to Mr Patel in the media this morning, the Trust has decided to suspend him from all school duties with immediate effect until a full investigation is carried out.
‘The ‘school’ and ‘Trust’ do not share the views attributed to him.’
In one tweet Patel he appeared to suggest women are to blame for rape, writing: ‘Lets make something clear: Generally, men are the predators, but women need to realise this and be smarter.
A series of vile posts by Abdullah Patel were unearthed last night moments after the BBC debate
‘It takes 2 to tango, and if you put yourself in that position, don’t expect every man to pass up the opportunity to take advantage of you. Don’t be alone with a man! ‘
Patel, who was also once listed as the head teacher of Al Ashraf Secondary School for Girls in Gloucester, showed his support for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
He wrote: ‘Vote UKLabour Vote JeremyCorbyn Vote for hopenotfear Vote for TheManyNottheFew. If you vote Tory you deserve all the cuts you get to tbh.’
Others highlighted his anti-Semitic views, with one post featuring a graphic once retweeted by Labour MP Naz Shah that saw her suspended by the Labour party in 2016.
It showed Israel’s outline superimposed on to a map of the US under the headline: Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict – Relocate Israel into United States.’
Alongside the image, he wrote: FOUND THE SOLUTION! America wants to look after Israel? I’ve got a way to make them neighbours! (Until Israel attack).
In another tweet he wrote: ‘Every polial figure on Zionist’s payroll is scaring the world about Corbyn.
‘They don’t like him. He seems best suited to tackle them!’
Today Patel had deleted his Twitter account after the controversial tweets were exposed.
A series of posts tweeted by Patel were exposed last night revealing his controversial views
Patel appeared to be directing his comments to Boris Johnson, who sparked controversy when he suggested veiled Muslim women looked like ‘letter boxes and bank robbers’ in a newspaper article.
He later criticised Johnson for his response, in which he forgot his name, writing on Twitter ‘my name is Abdullah, not Tina … ‘our friend from Bristol’ and linking to a video of Johnson’s answer to him, saying it showed ‘Boris at his best (or worst)’.
During the debate Boris Johnson said he was ‘sorry for the offence’ his comments had caused, while Michael Gove condemned Islamophobia as ‘repugnant’ and attacked Jeremy Corbyn for comments he claimed were ‘disgusting’ and anti-Semitic.
A BBC Spokesperson said today that it had ‘carried out background research into the online and social media profiles of all our questioners for last night’s debate.’
However, they said that one individual ‘reactivated a public twitter account he had previously deactivated whose tweets were not visible during our research period. ‘
They added: ‘Had we been aware of the views he expressed there he would not have been selected.’
Patel asked Tory leadership candidates about Islamophobia during the debate (pictured) and later tweeted about his disappointment with their ‘deluded’ responses
After the posts emerged it sparked outrage on social media, as many viewers demanded to know why the BBC had allowed him on the show.
Despite his controversial tweets being unearthed just shortly after the debate on the BBC last night, he was still invited on to speak to Nicky Campbell on Radio Five Live this morning.
It quickly received a barrage of criticism, and Campbell apologised later on Twitter.
He wrote ‘I would like to apologise.
‘We had the Imam from the BBC Tory leadership debate on our programme this morning. His social media comments have been extremely disturbing.
Boris Johnson (left) lined up alongside Jeremy Hunt (centre), Michael Gove (right), Rory Stewart and Sajid Javid for the hour-long session at the BBC studios in London
Mr Johnson was questioned about his comment when he compared veiled Muslim women to ‘letter boxes’
‘We should have checked. We didn’t. I’m sorry.’
Rob Burley, the Editor of BBC Live Political programmes attempted to explain how the Imam was allowed on the show.
He wrote: ‘For those wondering how, given his tweets, Abudullah Patel made it onto the debate last night.
‘The answer: his Twitter account had been deactivated, his tweets could not be read and his account did not exist when searched for.
‘It was AFTER the show that Mr Patel reactivated his account revealing his tweets. We wouldn’t have put him on the programme if these were public before broadcast but they were not.
‘We also carried out a number of other routine checks which didn’t uncover anything untoward.’
He added: ‘We were merely thinking the best of him, we had no way of knowing what his tweets said because the account was not visible.’
On the programme last night, the candidates all agreed to launch an investigation into Islamophobia in the Conservative party when prompted by Sajid Javid.
Defending his comments on letter boxes, Johnson said: ‘In so far as my words have given offence over the last 20 or 30 years when I have been a journalist and people have taken those words out of my articles and escalated them, of course I am sorry for the offence they have caused.
‘But I would just say this to our friend from Bristol. When my Muslim great-grandfather came to this country in fear of his life in 1912, he did so because he knew it was a beacon of generosity and willingness to welcome people from around the world.
Tory rivals row over Trump’s retweeting of ‘Londonistan’ post
The Tory contenders squabbled over how to respond to Donald Trump’s retweeting of posts about ‘Londonistan’ last night.
During the BBC debate, Jeremy Hunt insisted his previous remarks defending the US president had been misconstrued – although he did believe Sadiq Khan had been a ‘useless mayor’ and ‘useless at tackling knife crime’.
As the candidates all condemned Islamophobia, Sajid Javid urged them to commit to an external investigation into Islamophobia in the Tory party.
The Home Secretary went on to say ‘words do have consequences’ and he would be a ‘critical friend’ to the US president, who would ‘call out’ any racist comments.
Rory Stewart took a more diplomatic approach, saying although he would be ‘very firm, very strong’ with the president, ‘generally if you are the prime minister you have to do it with dignity and in private’.
But he was rebuked by Mr Javid, who demanded to know whether he would be up front in public about his objections to Mr Trump.
‘If I am Prime Minister I will ensure that is the way our country acts and behaves.’
After being reminded of the Imam’s name, Mr Johnson added: ‘In respect to what our friend said, of course I think my Muslim great-grandfather would have been astonished to find his great-grandson had become foreign secretary and an MP, but he would have been very proud.’
Host Emily Maitlis also challenged Mr Johnson on his remarks, adding he had been ‘careless with his words.’
In reponse, Patel tweeted last night: ‘What I got as a response was nothing short of disappointing and deluded: ‘@BorisJohnson forgot my name, spoke about his G grandfather and about Iran.
‘Gove used the opportunity to have a dig at @jeremycorbyn…’
Jeremy Hunt was also forced to backtrack after previously saying he agreed with a tweet Donald Trump had posted which called London ‘Londonistan.’
Jeremy Hunt denied that he endorsed Donald Trump’s retweeting of the ‘racist rants of Katie Hopkins’ about ‘Londonistan’.
‘What I said was I agreed with his sentiment that Sadiq Khan had been a useless London Mayor when it comes to tackling knife crime,’ he told the BBC debate.
‘But I totally disagree with his words and I totally disagree with the racist rants of Katie Hopkins.’
Mr Hunt said he was married to an immigrant and had three half-Chinese children.
‘When they go to school they look different to the other kids. You know the best thing about this country is it doesn’t matter at all.’
Mr Javid, whose parents were Muslim immigrants who settled in Bristol, agreed that ‘words do have consequences’ and added that Abdullah was right to be concerned about growing anti-Muslim sentiment in this country.
The debate came hours after Dominic Raab was eliminated from the contest in the second round of votes. Mr Johnson topped the second ballot, confirming his status as the favourite to replace Theresa May in Downing Street.
Mr Gove was in third place on 41 votes, while Mr Stewart was on 37.
Candidates needed 33 votes to remain in the race – the exact number picked up by Mr Javid.
Who asked the questions in BBC Tory leader debate?
Question one: Lee from Norwich
He asked: ‘As a lifelong Conservative voter I voted for the Brexit party in the recent European elections.
‘My question to you all is can you guarantee that you will be able to get your Brexit plan through Parliament by the 31st of October.
Question two: Carmella from Southampton
She asked: ‘My question as a mother of three with a husband in the property industry is if we have a No Deal my husband could lose his job and my children face an uncertain future.
‘Why are you even contemplating a No Deal Brexit?’
Question three: Mark in Belfast
He asked: ‘I grew up during the Troubles and I have seen how a free and open border to the Republic of Ireland has helped secure both piece but support trade and development.
‘Can the candidates explain how they will solve the issue of the Irish border, a subject many people here see as Theresa May’s downfall.’
Question four: James in Oxford
He asked: ‘I used to be a Conservative voter but now consider myself party-less. I have reluctantly voted for the Brexit Party. My question to all of you is what is your plan to lift the tax burden on the working classes?’
Question five: Tina in Tunbridge Wells
She asked: ‘I have fostered more than 10 children over 27 years despite the support from my local authority I now struggle to get appropriate mental health services, special educational needs support and even doctors’ appointments. What are you going to do for vulnerable children.’
Question six: Abdullah in Bristol
He asked: ‘I am the imam of a mosque and I see first-hand the everyday impact of Islamophobic rhetoric on my community. Do the candidates agree that words have consequences?’
Who were the winners and losers from the bad-tempered Tory leader showdown?
By JACK DOYLE, Associate Editor
BORIS JOHNSON
Best moment: Emphatic on Brexit. We must leave on October 31 or else the public will ‘look on us with increasing mystification’.
Worst moment: Grilled over his blunder on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe while Foreign Secretary. Claimed his words ‘didn’t make a difference’ to her sentence.
Verdict: Endured a few dicey moments when pressed by Emily Maitlis. No clear catastrophic blunder which could derail his campaign.
Up or down? No change
JEREMY HUNT
Best moment: Brutal barb at Rory Stewart for rejecting No Deal outright. ‘You’re the no Brexit candidate.’
Worst moment: Invoking his mixed-race children in an attempt to divert from a question about Donald Trump.
Verdict: Belatedly turned his fire on his biggest threat, Rory Stewart, but struggled to cut through.
Up or down? Down
RORY STEWART
Best moment: Branded the social care system a ‘disgrace’ and a ‘scandal’. ‘It’s the great unfinished revolution in our society.’
Worst moment: Ostentatiously taking off his tie and stretching. Bizarre.
Verdict: A bad night. Coming under fire from other candidates for the first time, he struggled. Has the Rory bubble burst?
Up or down? Down
MICHAEL GOVE
Best moment: Took apart Rory Stewart’s Brexit plan with a single line. ‘We can’t simply re-present the same old cold porridge and ask people to say that’s what they want.’
Worst moment: Struggled to explain his policy of scrapping VAT and replacing it with a sales tax.
Verdict: Articulate, intelligent and impassioned. Had a good night, but will it turn the dial?
Up or down? Up
SAJID JAVID
Best moment: Hammered Rory Stewart on his failure to criticise President Trump.
Worst moment: Trying to explain how money would solve Brexit problems at the Irish border.
Verdict: Comfortably had the best night. More composed, coherent and passionate than before. But is it too late?
Up or down? Up
Nigel Farage says he WOULD make an election pact with the Tories but only if Boris Johnson proves he will push through No Deal Brexit by Halloween
Nigel Farage today opened the door to a general election pact with the Tories – but only if Boris Johnson commits to a clean Brexit by the end of October.
The Brexit Party leader softened his stance against an arrangement that could stave off the threat from Jeremy Corbyn in dozens of seats across the country.
Tory donors are believed to be pushing for an agreement that Mr Farage’s fledgling party will not split the vote by running against Eurosceptics. In return, the Tories could stand aside in northern metropolitan areas where the Brexit Party has a better chance of defeating Labour.
Mr Farage said earlier this week that he did not ‘trust’ PM in-waiting Mr Johnson enough, but now says he could support him if he takes a tough line on Brexit.
Nigel Farage (pictured outside No10 earlier this month) has softened his stance against a pact that could stave off the threat from Jeremy Corbyn in dozens of seats across the country
‘If Boris said ‘right, we’re ditching this terrible treaty, it’s the worst deal in history, I made a terrible mistake in voting for it, we’re ditching it’,’ Mr Farage said at an event hosted by The Telegraph last night.
”We’re giving Europe notice – we’re leaving on the 31st of October on WTO (World Trade Organisation) terms.
‘We’re going to do our utmost to make sure that in terms of terms of aviation, transport, the Port of Dover there is as little disruption as there possibly can be’ – then you might spring them into action and they might offer some sort of tariff-free deal.
‘And if Boris did that, and he was prepared to go to House of Commons to be voted down, to lose a motion of confidence, to go the country on a general election on that ticket and with the support of people of like me – he would win a massive, thumping majority.’
Mr Farage added: If he was prepared to do that of course I’d want to work with them, of course I’d do that.’
Earlier this week Mr Farage said of the idea of a pact: ‘I can understand why they want to buy me off but the lack of trust means it’s not up for grabs.’
It came as a new poll showed that almost half of Conservative members would be happy for Mr Farage to lead their own party.
Some 46 per cent of members surveyed by YouGov for the Times said that they would be happy if the former Ukip leader joined the party and landed the top job.
However, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson today warned against a pact with Mr Farage.
Mr Farage said earlier this week that he did not ‘trust’ PM in-waiting Boris Johnson (pictured during a BBC TV debate last night) enough, but now says could support him if he takes a hard line on Brexit
‘To win the next general election we don’t have to become the Brexit Party, make an electoral pact with them in certain seats, or offer a coalition in Parliament,’ he said in a column for The Telegraph.
‘We have to respect the referendum result and leave the EU, as we said we would,’ she added.
‘Doing a deal with the Brexit Party would be an admission of defeat. And we’re not dead yet.’
Mr Johnson has played down the idea of a pact, with his ally James Cleverly telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this week: ‘I can’t see that is something he would want to do and it is not anything he would need to do.
‘He is able to win elections with Conservatives and Conservative support. He didn’t broach electoral pacts in London and I can’t imagine he would need to broach electoral pacts at this point.’
