Afzal Amin and EDL: it wasn't a plot, it was conflict resolution
Star Tory candidate suspended from party after 'hatching cynical plot to make him look good'

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The Conservative election candidate suspended by his party after a Mail on Sunday scoop apparently caught him hatching a plot with the far-right English Defence League designed to make him look good among his potential constituents has denied any deception.
Talking in the past few hours to the BBC in Dubai, Afzal Amin said he had been trying to bring the community together in Dudley North. The Mail on Sunday story, he said, was a “gross misrepresentation” of his efforts.
Here are the two sides to the Afzal Amin story…
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What the Mail on Sunday accuses him of:
Amin can be seen and heard on a secret recording made by EDL founder Tommy Robinson “hatching a scheme” with the extremist group to announce an “inflammatory march” in Dudley North to protest against the opening of a new £18m ‘mega-mosque’.
But the idea was that the demo would never go ahead: the “phoney rally” would be called off just before election day and Amin would take the credit for bringing peace to the community, thus winning over voters and police in the marginal seat.
In return for going along with his “cynical plot”, he promised to be an “unshakeable ally” of the EDL and would help bring their extreme views “into the mainstream” if he was elected to Parliament.
The Mail reports that he “also wanted EDL members to be paid to canvass on his behalf in Dudley” – which is against election law.
The reaction:
Following an emergency meeting, Amin was immediately suspended by the Tory party until a hearing this Tuesday can decide whether he should remain as the party’s candidate in Dudley North.
Most commentators on the Sunday political shows felt it would be hard for him to keep the candidacy: even if he did nothing illegal, his judgment was questionable.
Tory defence minister Anna Soubry told the Andrew Marr Show that if there was any truth in the story Amin should “fess up” and go immediately.
Others said that because the EDL is so far to the right, whatever Amin’s reasons, he should never have sat down with them. Considering he is a Muslim, it was hard to believe.
Tommy Robinson admitted to Andrew Neil, on the Sunday Politics, that it was he who had leaked the film to the Mail on Sunday. He said he did not like being used as a political pawn.
Afzal Amin’s side of the story:
A Muslim, a former Army officer – Afzal Amil was a dream candidate for the 21st century Tory party. He told the BBC correspondent in Dubai (from where he is due to return to the UK on Monday to face the music) that the Mail on Sunday’s allegations were “heart-breaking” – but wrong.
What he had been discussing with the EDL, he said, was an exercise in “conflict resolution” of the kind he had witnessed while on military duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The point was to announce a march that would bring people together to discuss, and through discussions, tensions would be resolved," he told the BBC. "I wanted to see these two communities really learn more about each other through face-to-face discussion.”
He said there was always "a degree of stage management" when you tried to resolve conflict. But he denied any deception: "It was simply a way of building confidence between communities.”
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Quiz of The Week: 16 - 22 September
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Humanitarian purposes
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - September 29, 2023
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - September 29, 2023
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Rishi Sunak's green wedge issue win over the public?
Today's Big Question The PM draws dividing line with Labour on net zero ahead of the next general election
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Industry backlash as Sunak set to water down green pledges
Speed Read Automotive and energy bosses look for clarity after PM backs away from UK net zero goal
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
October by-elections: what's at stake for Labour, Lib Dems and Tories
Parties will contest two former safe Tory seats on 19 October, putting pressure on Rishi Sunak
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Jobs for the boys: does the UK need a minister for men?
Conservative MP calls for dedicated cabinet role to combat 'crisis' in men's mental health and education
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
The new Windsor framework: Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal explained in five points
feature PM reaches agreement with EU over new Northern Ireland trading arrangements
By Sorcha Bradley Last updated
-
The crackdown on golden visa schemes
feature Government aims to close ‘backdoor route’ into Britain for criminals who exploit visa-waiver agreements with other countries
By Richard Windsor Published
-
Sturgeon’s exit: does SNP leader leave Scotland a better place?
Talking Point Outgoing leader dominated Scottish life but had her star status began to fade away?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Strikes: will ‘divide and rule’ tactics break the impasse with unions?
Today's Big Question GMB union describes the government’s ‘serious’ offer to nurses as a ‘back-room deal’
By Arion McNicoll Published