UK lawmaker claims she was fired over her Muslim faith

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A former minister in Britain’s Conservative government says she was told that her Muslim faith was a reason she was fired. The claim has deepened the rifts roiling Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s governing party. Former transport minister Nusrat Ghani told the Sunday Times that when she was demoted in 2020, a government whip said her “Muslimness” was “making colleagues uncomfortable.” Chief Whip Mark Spencer said he was the person Ghani was talking about, but said her allegation was “completely false.” Ghani’s allegation comes after another Conservative legislator accused party whips of intimidating and blackmailing members of Parliament. The Conservatives are enmeshed in feuding over allegations that Johnson and his staff held lockdown-flouting parties.