‘Words matter’ – Lee Anderson, heightened tension and MPs’ safety | Politics News

The former Tory deputy chair, Lee Anderson, has refused to apologise for comments that saw him suspended from the party.

He said he believed “Islamists” had “got control” of London’s mayor Sadiq Khan – a remark Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called “unacceptable”.

But Mr Anderson isn’t the only politician stoking racial divides, with Azhar Ali standing in this week’s Rochdale by-election despite making antisemitic remarks that cost him Labour’s backing.

The tensions have left many MPs fearing for their personal safety as security has had to be ramped up for several of them.

On this edition of the Sky News Daily, Jonathan Samuels speaks to deputy political editor Sam Coates about the toxicity in politics.

Plus, Anna Firth, the Conservative MP for Southend West – where the late MP Sir David Amess was killed by an Islamic State sympathiser – describes what it’s like to be a member of parliament in the current political climate.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

Producer: Alex Edden

Assistant producer: Iona Brunker

Editor: Wendy Parker