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Rishi Sunak says no further action against Spencer over Ghani sacking Rishi Sunak says no further action against Spencer over Ghani sacking
(about 2 hours later)
Prime minister makes announcement after official inquiry criticises but clears minister of breaching rulesPrime minister makes announcement after official inquiry criticises but clears minister of breaching rules
Rishi Sunak has said he will take no further action against the minister Mark Spencer after an official investigation criticised the former chief whip but cleared him of breaching the rules over his sacking of Conservative colleague Nusrat Ghani.Rishi Sunak has said he will take no further action against the minister Mark Spencer after an official investigation criticised the former chief whip but cleared him of breaching the rules over his sacking of Conservative colleague Nusrat Ghani.
Ghani had accused Spencer of saying that her “Muslimness” was “making colleagues uncomfortable” before she was demoted in a cabinet reshuffle in 2020. Ghani, the MP for East Sussex who was sacked as a transport minister during the February 2020 reshuffle, claimed Spencer, then chief whip, linked her dismissal to her “Muslimness” that was “making colleagues uncomfortable”. She said she was warned her career would be “destroyed” if she tried to complain.
She told the Sunday Times last year that “it was like being punched in the stomach – I felt humiliated and powerless”. Her claims triggered an ethics inquiry. An inquiry concluded by the prime minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, noted Spencer’s “shortcomings” but cleared him of breaching the ministerial code, citing an “absence of clear evidence”.
The prime minister’s ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, has now concluded an investigation that was launched last January. He said the row before the February 2020 government reshuffle was an “unsatisfactory experience for both ministers involved”, but could not take further action because of an “absence of clear evidence” to suggest negative comments about her faith were made during meetings. The investigation was launched last January after Ghani spoke out about her ordeal, which she likened to “being punched in the stomach – I felt humiliated and powerless”. Speaking to the Sunday Times, she said her loyalty was questioned because she “didn’t do enough to defend the party against Islamophobia allegations”.
“It is not possible to conclude absolutely that such comments were not made, but I have found no evidence of comments of the nature described by Ms Ghani being attributed in her case,” the report said. Magnus concluded in his report: “Both Ms Ghani and Mr Spencer consider each other to be mistaken in their recollections and both remain aggrieved and personally affected by the impact of this public disagreement. I would hope that, as dedicated public servants and ministers of the crown, they will now find a way to move on from these events.”
It added: “Because incomplete information had been provided, Ms Ghani’s account was initially questioned and she had to make efforts to demonstrate to the then prime minister [Boris Johnson] that the meeting had in fact occurred. This added further difficulty to what Ms Ghani already found to be a stressful meeting.” The prime minister wrote to Magnus noting that the events surrounding the sacking had been an “unsatisfactory experience for both ministers involved”. He added: “But in the absence of clear evidence, it would not be right to take further action. I have spoken to both ministers and encouraged them to heed your advice to pull together in the finest tradition of public service.”
More details soon …. Responding to the findings, Ghani urged Spencer to explain his “shortcomings” and other failings. “There is no criticism or doubt expressed regarding my version of events,” she said. “We all serve at the prime minister’s choosing and there is no shame in a political career ending. But to be told your faith and identity is the reason for it cannot be acceptable in any way.
“The impact of being told this was devastating and my motivation in pursuing the complaint was to ensure it wasn’t buried, but that it ended with me so that no other colleague would have to endure anything similar.”
Magnus said he was unable to “draw a clear picture” of the discussions between the pair in 2020 as there was not an independent witness who was present for the “exit interview”.