The Tory Party chairman has doubled down on support for a senior Conservative MP who has faced criticism for saying public Muslim prayer is an “act of domination and division”.
Sir Keir Starmer used Prime Minister’s Questions to call for Mr Timothy to be sacked, claiming the comments showed the Tories had a “problem with Muslims”, and pressed Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch to “denounce” them.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who attended the event, has branded the comments a “disgrace” to the Conservative Party, and a “megaphone dog whistle”.
Kevin Hollinrake told the Press Association his party believes in freedom of speech and religion but that the Open Iftar event was “the wrong thing to do”.
“We think it was the wrong thing to do. This was an exclusive event.
“This was ticket only in a central London location. This wasn’t a performance, it was a prayer.
“So … for those reasons, we think this is the wrong thing to do.
“That’s not to say for any second, for a second, that we don’t support moderate Muslims observing their faith in mosques up and down the country…
“We believe in freedom of speech, also freedom of religion, as a core part of what the Conservatives believe in, but doing that in that kind of location … why was that kind of location where it’s that area that’s exclusively reserved for that purpose, as it wasn’t a performance? We think that was wrong, and that’s what Nick said.”
He said it was “complete nonsense” to suggest his party had a problem with Muslims, as Sir Keir said on Wednesday.