Tory leadership: Imam who attacked Boris Johnson is SUSPENDED by his school

The BBC is today engulfed in controversy over its vetting after it emerged it allowed an anti-Semitic Imam and a former Labour party worker to question Tory leadership hopefuls in last night's TV debate.

Abdullah Patel, who probed the contenders on Islamophobia, has today been suspended from his job as deputy head of a Muslim primary school over tweets he sent blaming women for rape, praising Jeremy Corbyn and attacking Jews.

Mr Patel has been suspended by the Masjid e Umar mosque in Gloucester, it was revealed today.

Aman Thakar, who questioned if the candidates had a democratic mandate, has also been suspended from his law firm Leigh Day after it emerged he said the most harmful part of Hitler's legacy was his 'abuse of nationalism' in a tweet.

He was also unmasked as a Labour HQ worker who was brought in to investigate anti-Semitism. The BBC said it knew that Thakar worked for Labour but failed to explain why they didn't tell viewers.

The corporation also refused to apologise for the Imam's inclusion, insisting the tweets were 'not visible' when they vetted him – however he was tweeting from the account just two days before the debate.

Today another of the questioners, 15-year-old Erin Curtis, who asked the candidates if they would make tough carbon neutral pledges, has revealed that she is part of the Student Climate Network, which organised a mass walk-out of schools in February.

She has warned there would be further strikes unless the government agreed to measures including a Green Deal, in an article for the Guardian. 

The series of vile posts by Patel were exposed moments after the programme on BBC One, in which he asked the Tory MPs on their views on Islamophobia and whether they believed 'words have consequences.'  

A series of vile posts by Abdullah Patel were unearthed last night moments after the BBC debate

A series of vile posts by Abdullah Patel were unearthed last night moments after the BBC debate

Aman Thakar (pictured) who questioned if the candidates had a democratic mandate, has been revealed as a Labour Party council candidate in 2018 in Southwark, and worked at Labour headquarters investigating anti-Semitism

Aman Thakar (pictured) who questioned if the candidates had a democratic mandate, has been revealed as a Labour Party council candidate in 2018 in Southwark, and worked at Labour headquarters investigating anti-Semitism

How DID the anti-Semetic Imam and Labour supporter get through? BBC faces troubling questions over its vetting procedures 

The BBC is facing damaging questions about its vetting of guests after its Tory leadership debate disaster and may have breached its own rules on impartiality, MailOnline can reveal today.

The corporation has been rocked by scandal after an Imam who told Boris Johnson that 'words have consequences' was outed as a Jeremy Corbyn supporter accused of making anti-Semitic comments and blaming women for rape on social media. 

The corporation has since accused Mr Patel, who has been suspended from his job as a deputy headteacher of a Gloucestershire primary school, of deleting his social media profiles to avoid being thrown off the show.

But critics have said that even if his Facebook and Twitter accounts had been temporarily deactivated, researchers considering him for the debate had clearly failed to carry out an extensive check on his online presence.

And this afternoon it got worse for the BBC after it emerged that another questioner Aman Thakar, who asked the Tory candidates about calling a general election, is a lawyer who worked for Labour in its London HQ investigating anti-Semitism complaints.

He also stood for the party as a council candidate in Southwark, south London, last year and the BBC admitted they knew about his past but failed to mention it on last night’s show.

Critics have said failing to reveal his links to a political party to the 5million people watching the debate last night could be in breach of the BBC's own rules on impartiality in political programmes.

This is because Section 4 of their editorial guidelines says: 'We may need to make it clear to the audience when contributors are associated with a particular viewpoint, if it is not apparent from their contribution or from the context in which their contribution is made'. 

Brexit Minister James Cleverly, who stood in the leadership race before backing Boris Johnson, said: 'I love and value the BBC, but stuff like this makes it really hard to defend you from critics. Didn't you think it relevant to inform viewers that Aman had been Labour Party staff? Other questioners said their political affiliations.' 

In one tweet Patel appeared to suggest women are to blame for rape, writing: 'Lets make something clear: Generally, men are the predators, but women need to realise this and be smarter. 

'It takes 2 to tango, and if you put yourself in that position, don't expect every man to pass up the opportunity to take advantage of you. Don't be alone with a man! ' 

Patel also showed his support for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

He wrote: 'Vote UKLabour Vote JeremyCorbyn Vote for hopenotfear Vote for TheManyNottheFew. If you vote Tory you deserve all the cuts you get to tbh.'

Others highlighted his anti-Semitic views, with one post featuring a graphic once retweeted by Labour MP Naz Shah that saw her suspended by the Labour party in 2016.

It showed Israel's outline superimposed on to a map of the US under the headline: Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict - Relocate Israel into United States.'

Alongside the image, he wrote: FOUND THE SOLUTION! America wants to look after Israel? I've got a way to make them neighbours! (Until Israel attack). 

In another tweet he wrote: 'Every political figure on Zionist's payroll is scaring the world about Corbyn. 

'They don't like him. He seems best suited to tackle them!'  

Other tweets referenced the Holocaust, with one post saying: 'How long are the Zionists going to hide behind the Holocaust cry? It was a tragedy, but Gaza today is a repeat of the oppression.'

Another widely-circulated screenshot shows the account, @AbdullahPatel94, saying: 'How long are the Zionists going to hide behind the Holocaust cry?

'It was a tragedy, but Gaza today is a repeat of the oppression.'

Today Patel deleted his Twitter account after the controversial tweets were exposed.

Yakub Patel, Chair of Al-Madani Education Trust which runs Al-Ashraf Primary School in Gloucester, where Patel is a deputy headteacher said he had been suspended.

In a statement, he said: 'Following some of the comments attributed to Mr Patel in the media this morning, the Trust has decided to suspend him from all school duties with immediate effect until a full investigation is carried out.

'The 'school' and 'Trust' do not share the views attributed to him.' 

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Patel refused to apologise, but insisted he had a very good relationship with the Jewish community.

He said: 'Those comments were made four or five years ago.

'I would also like to clarify the criticism was about Israel and not a criticism of the Jewish community.

'The Jewish community and I, especially within Gloucestershire, we work very closely together. We actually visited a synagogue just a while ago.' 

A series of posts tweeted by Patel were exposed last night revealing his controversial views

A series of posts tweeted by Patel were exposed last night revealing his controversial views

Other tweets from Patel mentioned the Holocaust, writing in one: ow long are the Zionists going to hide behind the Holocaust cry? It was a tragedy, but Gaza today is a repeat of the oppression'

Other tweets from Patel mentioned the Holocaust, writing in one: ow long are the Zionists going to hide behind the Holocaust cry? It was a tragedy, but Gaza today is a repeat of the oppression'

Patel asked Tory leadership candidates about Islamophobia during the debate (pictured) and later tweeted about his disappointment with their 'deluded' responses

Patel asked Tory leadership candidates about Islamophobia during the debate (pictured) and later tweeted about his disappointment with their 'deluded' responses 

Al-Ashraf Primary School is rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted inspectors 

Al-Ashraf Primary School opened in 2006. It is an independent Muslim day school for boys and girls aged from two to 11 years. 

The school is operated by the Al-Madani Education Trust, a registered charity that provides educational help and local support in Gloucestershire. 

The trustees have delegated governance of the school to the governing body.

The school is located in the Al-Ashraf Cultural Centre, a three-storey building close to the centre of Gloucester. 

Most pupils are from Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani backgrounds, with smaller numbers from a range of different backgrounds. The school aims to provide national curriculum-based education in keeping with Islamic morals and ethics. 

Currently, there are 170 boys and girls on roll, which includes children in the Nursery classes. Parents pay £2,000 a year for their children to attend.

A 2018 Ofsted report rated the school as 'inadequate'

The report into the primary school read: 'Leaders have an over-generous view of the school's effectiveness.

'The trust has not ensured that there are sufficient leadership roles in place.

'As a result, leaders have not been able to maintain the quality of education seen previously.

'The leadership of safeguarding is inadequate. Systems to investigate, record and monitor concerns lack rigour.'

Sajid Javid ‏tweeted today: 'The Imam from #BBCOurNextPM debate should practice what he preaches. 

'Words do indeed have consequences. That applies to him as much as it does for leaders in public life.' 

It came as political blog Guido Fawkes revealed that Aman Thakar, who asked the final question, was a former Labour party council candidate in 2018 in Southwark.

He was seen on last night's show asking the candidates when they would be prepared to call a general election - given the winner of this contest will get into Downing Street without one. 

But a source who worked in Labour's complaints department at the time he worked there, says Thakar was brought in by Shami Chakrabarti to help close down cases of anti-Semitism in the party.

Later it emerged that he was suspended by his current employer, Leigh Day Solicitors, following the discovery of a controversial tweet he posted in February. 

The tweet read: 'Hitler's abuse of the term nationalism is, to me, a nationalist, the most harmful part of his legacy.'

A Leigh Day spokesman said: 'We can confirm that Aman Thakar is currently a solicitor at Leigh Day in our employment department. We have been made aware of a tweet which we are taking very seriously. 

'Mr Thakar has been suspended with immediate effect from the firm whilst we carry out an internal investigation into these matters.' 

He has also deleted his tweets, but not before a screenshot of one of his tweets was captured, which read: 'Hitler's abuse of the term nationalism is, to me a nationalist, the most harmful part of his legacy.'

In response to the accusation that the BBC knew of Mr Thakar's links to the Labour Party, BBC Live Political Programmes Editor Rob Burley tweeted: 'There was also self-described Conservative on the programme.' 

On the show, Patel appeared to be directing his comments to Boris Johnson, who sparked controversy when he suggested veiled Muslim women looked like 'letter boxes and bank robbers' in a newspaper article.

Boris Johnson (left) lined up alongside Jeremy Hunt (centre), Michael Gove (right), Rory Stewart and Sajid Javid for the hour-long session at the BBC studios in London

Boris Johnson (left) lined up alongside Jeremy Hunt (centre), Michael Gove (right), Rory Stewart and Sajid Javid for the hour-long session at the BBC studios in London

Five million people tune into BBC debate 

The BBC's Tory leadership debate was watched by more than five million viewers, it emerged today.

It drew an average of 5.3 million viewers and peaked at 5.7 million. 

According to the corporation, the hour-long broadcast from 8pm was the 'best performing programme of the night across all channels'. 

Channel 4's debate on Sunday averaged 1.3 million viewers and peaked at 1.5 million. 

It included five of the Tory hopefuls, including Dominic Raab who failed to reach the next stage in the voting process yesterday, with an empty lectern left for Mr Johnson who did not participate. 

It was hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy. 

Sky News had previously announced plans to host a live head-to-head debate with the final two candidates. It will be hosted by Kay Burley, but the date has not yet been announced. 

It has also been reported ITV News will host its own leadership debate, but details are not yet known. 

He later criticised Johnson for his response, in which he forgot his name, writing on Twitter 'my name is Abdullah, not Tina … 'our friend from Bristol' and linking to a video of Johnson's answer to him, saying it showed 'Boris at his best (or worst)'.

During the debate Boris Johnson said he was 'sorry for the offence' his comments had caused, while Michael Gove condemned Islamophobia as 'repugnant' and attacked Jeremy Corbyn for comments he claimed were 'disgusting' and anti-Semitic.  

A BBC Spokesperson said today that it had 'carried out background research into the online and social media profiles of all our questioners for last night's debate.'

However, they said that one individual 'reactivated a public twitter account he had previously deactivated whose tweets were not visible during our research period. '

They added: 'Had we been aware of the views he expressed there he would not have been selected.'

After the posts emerged it sparked outrage on social media, as many viewers demanded to know why the BBC had allowed him on the show.

Despite his controversial tweets being unearthed just shortly after the debate on the BBC last night, he was still invited on to speak to Nicky Campbell on Radio Five Live this morning.

Mr Johnson was questioned about his comment when he compared veiled Muslim women to 'letter boxes'

Mr Johnson was questioned about his comment when he compared veiled Muslim women to 'letter boxes'

It quickly received a barrage of criticism, and Campbell apologised later on Twitter.

He wrote 'I would like to apologise. 

Who was Boris Johnson's Muslim great-grandfather? 

Boris Johnson's Turkish great-grandfather Ali Kemal with his wife Winifred

Boris Johnson's Turkish great-grandfather Ali Kemal with his wife Winifred

Boris Johnson highlighted his heritage as he defended himself from accusations of Islamophobia last night.

Mr Johnson's great-grandfather was Ali Kemal, a Turkish journalist and politician. 

Ali Kemal was a pro-democracy campaigner under the Ottoman regime, who fled to the UK to avoid persecution in the early 1900s.

He married Winifred Brun, but she died giving birth to their son Wilfred in 1909.

Wilfred was the father of Stanley Johnson, who in turn is the parent of the Tory leadership favourite.

Ali Kemal later returned to Turkey and served as interior minister, but was killed by a lynch mob in 1922 as the war of independence raged. 

When Mr Johnson took part in the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? programme a decade ago, he discovered that his family had changed the children's names to Johnson - Winifred's mother's surname - probably to avoid them being bullied at school.

'We had the Imam from the BBC Tory leadership debate on our programme this morning. His social media comments have been extremely disturbing. 

'We should have checked. We didn't. I'm sorry.'  

Rob Burley, the Editor of BBC Live Political programmes attempted to explain how the Imam was allowed on the show.

He wrote: 'For those wondering how, given his tweets, Abudullah Patel made it onto the debate last night. 

'The answer: his Twitter account had been deactivated, his tweets could not be read and his account did not exist when searched for.

'It was AFTER the show that Mr Patel reactivated his account revealing his tweets. We wouldn't have put him on the programme if these were public before broadcast but they were not. 

'We also carried out a number of other routine checks which didn't uncover anything untoward.'

He added: 'We were merely thinking the best of him, we had no way of knowing what his tweets said because the account was not visible.'   

On the programme last night, the candidates all agreed to launch an investigation into Islamophobia in the Conservative party when prompted by Sajid Javid.

Defending his comments on letter boxes, Johnson said: 'In so far as my words have given offence over the last 20 or 30 years when I have been a journalist and people have taken those words out of my articles and escalated them, of course I am sorry for the offence they have caused.

'But I would just say this to our friend from Bristol. When my Muslim great-grandfather came to this country in fear of his life in 1912, he did so because he knew it was a beacon of generosity and willingness to welcome people from around the world.

Emily Maitlis was accused of losing control of proceedings as the candidates talked over each other amid questions about the format chosen by the BBC

Emily Maitlis was accused of losing control of proceedings as the candidates talked over each other amid questions about the format chosen by the BBC

'If I am Prime Minister I will ensure that is the way our country acts and behaves.'

Boris comes under fire from ALL sides as he finally breaks cover in chaotic Tory leadership TV debate 

Boris Johnson was hammered over his Iran blunder, Muslim veil jibes and tax cuts for the wealthy in a bad-tempered and chaotic TV debate last night - but vowed he will take Britain out of the EU by Halloween.

The former foreign secretary came under fire from all sides as he lined up alongside Rory Stewart, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Sajid Javid for the hour-long session at the BBC studios in London.

But no clear winner emerged, with viewers enraged at the way the candidates dodged questions, as well as the bizarre format set by the corporation. 

Buoyed by topping the ballot of MPs earlier, Mr Johnson kicked off proceedings by setting out his stall on Brexit, insisting the UK must leave the EU by the end of October. 

'We must come out on the 31st October because otherwise I am afraid we face a catastrophic loss of confidence in politics,' he said.

'We have already kicked the can down the road twice and I think the British people are getting thoroughly fed up.'  

The exchanges quickly descended into furious squabbling, with presenter Emily Maitlis struggling to keep control as Mr Hunt and Mr Gove insisted they were ready to push the schedule back if a 'few more days' were needed to finalise a deal with the EU. 

Mr Stewart, who removed his tie as the debate heated up, accused his colleagues of 'staring at the wall' rather than walking through the 'door' - which was to support the deal Mrs May had already thrashed out over two years. 'Let's get on with it,' he said, adding that No Deal was 'not possible'.

After being reminded of the Imam's name, Mr Johnson added: 'In respect to what our friend said, of course I think my Muslim great-grandfather would have been astonished to find his great-grandson had become foreign secretary and an MP, but he would have been very proud.'

Host Emily Maitlis also challenged Mr Johnson on his remarks, adding he had been 'careless with his words.'

In reponse, Patel tweeted last night: 'What I got as a response was nothing short of disappointing and deluded: '@BorisJohnson forgot my name, spoke about his G grandfather and about Iran.

'Gove used the opportunity to have a dig at @jeremycorbyn...' 

Jeremy Hunt was also forced to backtrack after previously saying he agreed with a tweet Donald Trump had posted which called London 'Londonistan.'

'What I said was I agreed with his sentiment that Sadiq Khan had been a useless London Mayor when it comes to tackling knife crime,' he told the BBC debate. 

Mr Hunt said he was married to an immigrant and had three half-Chinese children.

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