Professor Tim Bale published an opinion piece for The Independent, based on his research which found that ‘more than a quarter of grassroots Tories would prefer to see fewer Muslim MPs’. He writes: “CCHQ [Conservative Campaign Headquarters] should be careful not to overreact – after all, the party’s rank and file is already up in arms over Brexit; the last thing it needs is to feel that it’s being accused of religious and racial prejudice. But the party’s leadership – and, very importantly, its potential leadership contenders (not just Sajid Javid) – do need to take the issue seriously. As Labour has vividly shown, denying there’s a problem, and so leaving it to fester, is neither a good look nor a good idea.”