Mark Spencer Cleared Of Ministerial Code Breach In Nus Ghani Investigation
Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani
2 min read
Rishi Sunak will take no further action against former whip Mark Spencer after the PM's ethics adviser concluded he did not breach the ministerial code in his handling of a claim that Islamophobic comments were made in relation to Conservative MP Nus Ghani.
Sunak would have been expected to sack Spencer, who is currently an environment minister, had Laurie Magnus found that he had broken ministerial rules in his former government role.
In a letter Sunak on Thursday presenting his conclusions to the investigation, however, Magnus said while there were "shortcomings" in how Spencer handled the allegation when he was chief whip, he did not breach the ministerial code.
In response, Sunak said "in the absence of clear evidence, it would not be right to take further action".
In January last year, Ghani alleged government whips had told her she lost her job as a transport minister in 2020 because other ministers had raised her Muslim faith as an issue.
"I was told that at the reshuffle meeting in Downing Street that 'Muslimness' was raised as an 'issue," the Conservative MP for Wealden told The Sunday Times. She added that she initially decided against pursuing the matter because she was told she "would be ostracised and her career and reputation would be destroyed".
Spencer later identified himself as the whip she was referring to, and described her allegations as "completely false" and "defamatory".
In his letter today Magnus said the pair have "firm but very different recollections" of the conversation, but had found "no evidence" that Spencer made the alleged comments to Ghani about discussions that had taken place in relation to her faith in early 2020.
He did however criticise him for having given the then prime minister Boris Johnson an "inaccurate" briefing of when his interactions with Ghani had taken place, and for implying "without evidence" that her allegation had already been dismissed by the Singh Investigation into Islamophobia within the Conservative party.
Responding to the findings, Ghani said Magnus' findings proved her evidence was "credible and consistent".
The Tory MP added: "I’m relieved that the report acknowledges that the previously denied 4th March 2020 meeting did take place and was central to the matter, as well as that Twitter statements were published ‘without evidence’."
Ghani said the impact of being told her faith was why she lost her job, a claim which she stands by, was "devastating" and that she continued to pursue her complaint to "ensure that no other colleague would have to endure anything similar".
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