When I served in government, ethnic minorities were expected to endure indignities

I have lost count of the number of times Sajid Javid, the Conservative health secretary, is referred to as Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, writes Salma Shah

The prime minister has ordered an inquiry into Nusrat Ghani’s ‘Muslimness’ sacking claims (via Reuters)

Ethnic minority MPs still face prejudice. Direct racism in and around the wider Westminster community has mostly disappeared but a more insidious intolerance exists at a low level, a repetitive din in the background of the political village. We may not care to admit it but ethnic minorities are held to a different standard and are expected to endure indignities others are not.

Former transport minister Nusrat Ghani revealed this week that she’d been told her “Muslimness” was an issue and was the reason behind her removal from office because it made some people “uncomfortable”. The contents of the conversation with Ghani and the chief whip Mark Spencer is refuted by him, but the suggestion alone is damaging and it’s right that a proper inquiry will take place to establish the facts.

This is not about the Conservative Party and it’s a false narrative if it’s presented as such. Indeed, the party has an amazing record of recruiting talent that reflects modern Britain. Give David Cameron credit where it’s due, he saw we had a problem and thanks to those efforts we can boast an array of ethnic minority talent at the top table, but lingering issues remain.