A petition urging the Conservative Party to restore the whip to Lee Anderson has surpassed 10,000 signatures, its organisers have said.
The former Tory deputy leader was suspended over the weekend after being accused of Islamophobic remarks by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The petition, launched by grassroots Tory website the Conservative Post, also calls for Anderson to be reinstated as Tory deputy chairman.
Editor of the website, Claire Bullivant, said Tory members are "screaming for proper Conservatism".
A petition urging the Conservative Party to restore the whip to Lee Anderson has surpassed 10,000 signatures, its organisers have said
PA
She told the Daily Express: "I was suddenly flooded by messages from our readers who were appalled that one of their favourite MPs was suspended so I set up the petition.
"The members and the grassroots are screaming for proper conservatism but so many MPs seem deaf to it. Just look where we are in the polls, the MPs aren’t listening.
"Lee Anderson may not have said it in the prettiest choice of words but he only said what millions across the country are thinking. So to then suspend him feels like a real kick in the face.
"You only have to look at London's streets every weekend. Lee Anderson is a man of the people who says it how it is.
"We need more brave MPs who will stand up to the mob and speak for the vast majority of the British people who want to remove terror-supporting groups from British streets."
Anderson was suspended after claiming that "Islamists have got control of our country" and that Khan has "given our capital city away to his mates."
Khan said the comments were "Islamophobic, racist and anti-Muslim".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday condemned his remarks as "wrong" and "not acceptable".
But Anderson has refused to apologise, instead doubling down and accusing the Mayor of London of overseeing "double standards for political benefit", referring to the way that pro-Palestinian marches are policed in London.
Speaking to GB News yesterday, he added: "If you are wrong, apologising is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.
"But when you think you are right you should never apologise because to do so would be a sign of weakness."
Reform UK leader Richard Tice threw his weight behind Anderson, claiming the MP "speaks for millions".
He also claimed his suspension from the Tory party has sparked a surge in new Reform UK members.
In a statement, the Reform UK leader said: "Many in the media have asked me about Lee Anderson’s comments. The truth is that Lee speaks for millions of people who are appalled by what is happening to our country.
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"Between them, this gutless government and the Mayor of London appear to have lost control of our streets. The projecting of a vile antisemitic slogan on our Houses of Parliament last week is a shocking illustration of the breakdown of law and order.
"In his role as London’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Sadiq Khan is responsible for London’s security. Along with Sir Mark Rowley, he has totally failed in that capacity. Week in week out, he and the police have allowed pro-Hamas, hate-filled antisemitic marches to continue."
