A leading Tory has claimed the new London Mayor Sadiq Khan has “jihadi associates in close proximity to influence”.
Dr Arujuna Sivananthan, chairman of the British Tamil Conservatives, reportedly said he “shuddered” at the thought of newly elected Mr Khan’s associates having influence at the Metropolitan Police.
According to ITV, Dr Sivananthan, an entrepreneur in the care business, tweeted on Saturday: “I now shudder at the thought of @SadiqKhan’s #Jihadi associates now being placed in close proximity to influence @metpoliceuk”.
The now-deleted message was posted shortly after Sadiq Khan was announced as the winner of the mayoral election.
Following criticism of his tweet, he claimed his concern was that Mr Khan was not “repudiating ideology” of people he has stood with.
He wrote: “I'm raising a legitimate concern about @sadiqkhan not repudiating ideology of those he's stood with”
He later added that he was not a racist and was “glad London has its first Moslem (sic) mayor. Just wish it wasn’t @sadiqkhan”.
Dr Sivananthan is described on the British Tamil Conservatives website as an active local Conservative and avid fundraiser, who is a firm believer in the Conservative principles of Individual Liberty and Civic responsibility.
His comments come in the wake of criticism of the Tory mayoral campaign which saw Mr Khan accused of links to Islamic extremists.
Mr Khan has described the Conservative party electoral tactics as “straight out of the Donald Trump playbook” and claimed he had “been fighting extremism and radicalisation all my life”.
The Independent has contacted Dr Sivananthan for comment.
