The Conservative Party has announced the appointment of Professor Swaran Singh to lead the independent review into improving party handling of complaints of all forms of discrimination and prejudice, including Islamophobia.
Allegations of Islamophobia in the UK Conservative Party have been made in the 21st century. Allegations have been made against senior politicians, including Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Zac Goldsmith.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi former co-chair of the Conservative Party said in 2018 that anti-Muslim prejudice had "poisoned" the party. Warsi called on the then party leader Theresa May to condemn it, arguing that she had spent over two years trying but failing to get successive party leaders to address the problem of Islamophobia. Some Muslim party members welcomed Warsi's comments, saying that they felt the issue had been marginalised within the party. In 2018, the Muslim Council of Britain issued numerous calls for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the party.
This independent review will look at how the party can improve their processes - to make sure that any instances are isolated, and that there are robust processes in place to stamp them out as and when they occur.
Professor Singh trained as a surgeon and became interested in mental health following involvement with human rights groups working with children traumatised in ethnic violence in New Delhi. He trained as a psychiatrist at the Post-graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI), Chandigarh, and moved to the UK in 1991. He was a Lecturer and Consultant in Nottingham and in 2001 was appointed Senior Lecturer at St George's University of London. There he developed ETHOS- early intervention service, which gained an international reputation for its success in improving outcomes for young people with psychosis and for its cost-effective use of resources. He was then appointed Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry at the University of Warwick in March 2006. Until 2019, Professor Singh was also a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Commenting, Professor Swaran Singh said, “I am privileged to have been appointed to chair the independent review into improving handling of complaints of prejudice and discrimination in the Conservative Party.”
Commenting, James Cleverly, Chairman of the Conservative Party, said, “I am pleased to announce Professor Swaran Singh as the Chair of the independent review into prejudice and discrimination in the Conservative Party.
“The Conservative Party has always worked to act swiftly when allegations have been put to us and there are a wide range of sanctions to challenge and change behaviour.
“The Conservative Party will never stand by when it comes to prejudice and discrimination of any kind and it is right to hold an independent review, so we can stamp out unacceptable abuse that is not fit for public life.”
