Members of the Conservative Party suspended for Islamophobic comments can be readmitted to the Tories after just six months, disciplinary emails have revealed.
Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis told suspended members they could have their membership back according to emails leaked to Buzzfeed .
Mr Lewis has previously criticised the Labour Party for readmitting councillors suspended for anti-semitic comments.
The Conservative Party has previously claimed to have a zero tolerance approach to Islamophobia.
Suspended Tories will be welcomed back into the fold if they take a diversity test, stay quiet about their suspension, delete their social media posts, and apologise.
Commenting on a news story about Labour last year, Lewis tweeted: “We should all ensure there is nothing quiet about this, shocking news: Labour quietly reinstated six councillors who posted anti-Semitic messages.”
A letter from Mr Lewis' office demanded silence from those alleged to have made the comments in return for being allowed to come back.
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The letter said: “You are asked not to make any public comment or announcement about this matter. This includes posting anything on social media.”
Mr Lewis defended the policy of reinstating members in an interview with LBC on Wednesday.
He said:“If somebody has done something that’s inappropriate, recognises that, does diversity training, apologises for it and doesn’t commit that kind of act again, then I do think it is reasonable to say they can come back.”
Last month it was reported that Brandon Lewis repeatedly ignored pleas to investigate racist and Islamophobic incidents according to party members.
According to reports in The Guardian members complained to Mr Lewis that a senior official referred to an Asian councillor as an orangutan and received no reply.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Our complaints process is rightly a confidential one but there are a wide range of sanctions to challenge and change behaviour, including suspension periods, and these are applied on a case-by-case basis.”
