15 race row Tories quietly let back in

FIFTEEN Tory councillors suspended for posting Islamophobic or racist content online have been quietly reinstated into the party.

They have been let back in despite some of them describing Saudis as ‘ sand peasants’ and sharing material comparing Asian people to dogs.

James Cleverly, the deputy Tory chairman, has said he disagrees ‘deeply’ with claims from within the party that it is institutionally Islamophobic.

New cases uncovered in the past week include Tory members referring to Muslims as ‘cavemen’ and claiming ‘most’ of the religion’s followers are sex offenders.

It emerged yesterday that 15 councillors from across the country were reinstated despite their apparently Islamophobic or racist remarks.

A Conservative spokesman said: ‘Discrimination or abuse of any kind is wrong. When CCHQ has been made aware of the small number of such cases we have acted swiftly, suspending members and launching immediate investigations, in sharp contrast to other parties.

‘Our complaints process is rightly a confidential one but there are a wide range of sanctions to challenge and change behaviour, including conditions to undertake training, a period of suspension and expulsion, and these are applied on a case- bycase basis.’