Chipping Barnet Conservative chairman asked to stand down

Former councillor Fiona Bulmer, chairman of Chipping Barnet Conservative Association, will play no further part in the election following the incident, which is said to have taken place in Southgate on Saturday (December 7).

Sidrah Mohammed, who works in a school and volunteers at a toddlers’ group, wrote about the incident on Facebook and encouraged people to share the public post.

She said she was passing campaigners from the Chipping Barnet Conservative canvassers while she was on her way to the supermarket with her two young children.

Ms Mohammed said she asked them “about the racist and Islamophobic comments made by their leader”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

She said one of the women – later identified as Ms Bulmer – said “Boris has her support and she finds the way I dress offensive”.

Ms Mohammed said she was wearing trousers, a raincoat and a small, pink headscarf when the incident happened.

She said: “When I tried filming her [Ms Bulmer], she darted off with the rest of her group, leaving a 20-something year old Tory Member to speak to me. The Young Tory was getting really upset about the video and cried – I ended up hugging her and calming her down while her Tory colleagues left her.

“Make of that what you will. My first Islamophobic attack in my life was from an active Tory member.

“I’m part of no party. I’m just a British mum getting on with being an active and positive member of society. But apparently my wearing trousers, a raincoat and a small pink headscarf is offensive.”

Ms Bulmer has previously served as Conservative councillor for Underhill.

The alleged incident comes as Mr Johnson continues to face criticism over language he has used to describe Muslims and other minority groups in his newspaper columns.

In a 2018 column for The Telegraph, he compared Muslim women wearing burqas to “letter boxes” and “bank robbers”.

In a 2005 column for The Spectator, Mr Johnson wrote: “To any non-Muslim reader of the Koran, Islamophobia – fear of Islam – seems a natural reaction, and, indeed, exactly what that text is intended to provoke.”

It was reported last month that Mr Johnson had apologised for the “hurt and offence” caused by Islamophobia within Conservative ranks.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid recently told the BBC’s Andrew Marr that the party would hold an inquiry into “prejudice” within its ranks, which would include investigating “anti-Muslim hatred”.

Barnet Conservatives posted a statement from Chipping Barnet Conservative Association on its Facebook page on Saturday (December 7) regarding the alleged incident involving Ms Bulmer.

It states: “We apologise for what was said and for the offence caused.

“We recognise that those holding office in a political party must take the greatest care to avoid anything which might be viewed as derogatory to any faith or minority community.

“That is why we asked Fiona to stand down as chairman of our local party, with immediate effect, and she will take no further part in the general election.

“The Conservative Party, both nationally and locally here in Chipping Barnet, condemns prejudice and discrimination and will always promote the values of equality and mutual respect between people of different faith and ethnic backgrounds. This view is shared by our candidate, Theresa Villiers.”