Sajid Javid has defended Boris Johnson's controversial remarks about Muslim women and said the prime minister had given valid explanation over why he compared veil-wearing women to "letterboxes" and "bank robbers."
Javid, who is of Pakistani Muslim heritage, however, failed to say whether he would use the same language to describe Muslim women.
“We have all got our own type of language,” said the chancellor at an election campaign stop in Bolton.
“(The PM) has explained why he’s used that language in the case that you refer to, and the point of it was to defend the rights of Muslims and others to wear what they like and I think he’s given a perfectly balanced version,” said Javid.
He also claimed that the Tory leadership has never been accused of Islamophobia. This is despite the claim that Johnson's 2018 article was a prime example of Islamophobia.
Javid said: "Whenever this issue has come about the Conservative Party, no-one has ever credibly suggested that it's an issue with the leadership of the party, whether that's the leader of the party of the day or the chancellor or other senior figures.
"No-one suggested that. And that is one of the big differences I think in what we're seeing with the Labour Party today."
The Muslim Council of Britain, meanwhile, said the Conservative Party has approached the issue of Islamophobia with "denial, dismissal and deceit".
"As a faith community, we commonly are threatened by Islamophobia,” a spokesperson was quoted as saying. “This an issue that is particularly acute in the Conservative Party who have approached Islamophobia with denial, dismissal and deceit.
"It is abundantly clear to many Muslims that the Conservative Party tolerate Islamophobia, allow it to fester in society, and fail to put in place the measures necessary to root out this type of racism.
"It is as if the Conservative Party has a blind spot for this type of racism."
