Calling out and isolating extreme voices is part of leadership. But leaders do themselves no favours when they use sensitive issues like racism to play politics.
With his article (May’s inaction is helping Islamophobia go mainstream, 2 April), Sadiq Khan has chosen to play politics on a serious issue. As I wrote recently (It’s time for my Conservative party to root out Islamophobia for good, theguardian.com, 22 March), Islamophobia must be rooted out and that fight needs to be led by right-of-centre voices. By focusing on his political opponents, however, Mr Khan lays bare his agenda. For the problem is much bigger than that, as evidenced by people like Tommy Robinson and his ilk.
By dwelling on past comments and a mistaken retweet – things for which I’ve already apologised – Mr Khan seeks to entrench divisions instead of heal wounds. If we only look back we’ll never…
