Suella Braverman, a former Tory Home Secretary, wrote an inflammatory article asserting without evidence that “Islamists, extremists and anti-Semites are in charge now”.

In the US, Liz Truss, a former Prime Minister, was interviewed by former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and stayed scandalously silent when he hailed British far-right figure Tommy Robinson as a “hero”.

Lee Anderson MP, former Tory deputy chairman, gave vent to Islamophobia, claiming in a GB News interview that Islamists “controlled” the Muslim mayor of London Sadiq Khan and London itself.

Then Paul Scully, a Tory MP, claimed parts of Tower Hamlets in London and Sparkhill in Birmingham, had become “no-go areas”, which he retracted after a fierce rejection of his remarks from the communities in question.

What has Rishi Sunak done about all this? Much less than you’d expect. Downing Street said only that Sunak “did not agree” with Mr Scully. There was silence on Braverman’s comments. Ministers insisted Truss “did nothing wrong”.

Steve Bannon (Image: free)

Lee Anderson had the whip removed, but ministers fell over themselves to avoid calling his remarks racist or Islamophobic – when asked why Anderson was “wrong”, immigration minister Michael Tomlinson failed to give an answer on LBC six times (Nick Ferrari ended the interview in disgust).

Sadiq Khan knew why. He said Anderson was “pouring fuel on the fire of anti-Muslim hatred”.

Anderson has refused to apologise.

There will be many people worrying that we are starting to see the creeping normalisation of racism in British politics.

Here in Scotland, in the........

© Herald Scotland