The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons has revealed details of the discrimination she’s faced during her time in politics but has vowed not to be pushed out.
In a wide-ranging interview with Gloria De Piero to be broadcast on GB News on Sunday, Nus Ghani, Conservative MP for Sussex Weald, claimed she had been removed from a position due to her belief in Islam.
Asked if she believed that there is anti-Muslim prejudice in politics, she said: “Well, that happened to me. And the reality is that you can lose your job in politics for multiple reasons, right? I never expected to be told that my faith was an issue.
“I’ve got a wonderful colleagues in my party. It came as a huge surprise. And then what unfolded was completely unnecessary. I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through that again. So for me, it was important that I challenged it.”
She added: “But the reality is, I feel that if I constantly have to comment on it, it ends up defining me. And fundamentally it should be defining the people, the protagonists, who used their power at the time to try and diminish who I am. So the reality also is that I am still here, and I have continued with my career.
“Having been a member of Parliament, there is a saying, ‘No good deed goes unpunished in politics’. For me, what happened was so abhorrent I did not want it to happen to another colleague ever again. And because I took a stand, I’m hoping that it won’t.
“I also don’t think it was just about my faith. I think there’s an element of misogyny involved and an element that – there was a complete power imbalance. But I wasn’t going to let it pass. It’s now done, and the protagonist should be explaining their actions.”
Ms Ghani, who refused to rule out that she has ambitions to one day replace Sir Lindsay Hoyle, said people needed to be encouraged to go into politics and appeal more to women and working class people.
Nus Ghani sat down with GB News to discuss how she was removed from a position in politics due to her belief in Islam
| GB NEWS
She told GB News: “I think the real challenge that we have in politics is how do we incentivise people to do the right thing? And how do you ensure when people do the right thing, that they aren’t admonished for doing that as well?
“I think the biggest challenge that we have in politics is in providing the space for women and then working class people to come forward. Because we don’t naturally have those networks and power bases when we get to Parliament.”
Ms Ghani was asked how she copes with the level of racist abuse she has received on social media: “I’ve been an MP since 2015, and when you’re a female Conservative member of Parliament, I always expected a little bit of pushback. It’s like politics is pretty brutal, and that was fine.
“What I didn’t expect to be so much commentary about my faith or my race, but I suppose I’ve got a thick skin over the years.”
