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The Conservative party has suspended a former campaign manager for “blatant racism” after a tweet was posted from her account suggesting a Bradford-born MP should “go back to Pakistan”.
Theodora Dickinson, who also worked for Vote Leave, is accused of tweeting: “If racist Naz Shah hates this country so much why doesn’t she go back to Pakistan?”
The Tories had been criticised for failing to take action against Dickinson when she shared an Islamophobic conspiracy theory on Twitter after the terror attacks on two Christchurch mosques by a white supremacist, who killed 50 people.
But she has now been suspended following her alleged tweet about Labour MP Shah.
I a statement to HuffPost UK, Dickinson said: “I am very sorry for my comments earlier today.
“I fully recognise how offensive it was, which is why I deleted the tweet almost immediately, though of course this does not excuse posting it in the first place.
“It was crass and insensitive. I have written to Ms Shah offering an unreserved apology.”
A Conservative party spokesperson said: “Theodora Dickinson has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation.”
Shah said: “This kind of blatant racism will not deter me from speaking out. Quite the opposite – it just reinforces why it’s necessary to fight vile bigotry and intolerance and makes me more determined.”
It came after the Muslim Council of Britain criticised the party’s failure to take action previously.
“The Conservative Party’s lack of action for the last 15 months after Ms Dickinson shared an Islamophobic conspiracy theory in response to the Christchurch terrorist attack shows a serious problem with the party.
“Now Ms Dickinson tells a Muslim MP: ‘Why doesn’t she go back to Pakistan?’ Will this latest blatant racism elicit action?
“The party must reflect and consider why it chooses to ignore widespread concerns about its institutional Islamophobia – if a truly independent inquiry is not enacted with its recommendations implemented, there will be a drip-feed of these stories for a long time to come.”
HuffPost UK has approached Dickinson for comment.