The Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn has moved quickly to deny any involvement in an alleged plot with the English Defence League (EDL) which led to the resignation of a Conservative candidate.
Maajid Nawaz, who is standing for the Lib Dems in the General Election, has denied having any knowledge of the EDL plot alleged to have been orchestrated by Afzal Amin, who was standing for the Tories in Dudley North constituency.
Mr Amin was accused of attempting to form a plot with far-right group the EDL in which they would announce a march in Dudley North and he would take credit when it was scrapped.
He has now resigned as a Tory candidate having been suspended by the party over the affair.
Mr Nawaz was dragged into the controversy after Tommy Robinson, former EDL leader, who is alleged to have been approached by Mr Amin about the plot, told LBC’s Nick Ferrari that he was originally introduced to Mr Amin at an event organised by Quilliam, a counterterrorism think-tank founded by Mr Nawaz.
In 2013, Mr Robinson announced his decision to leave the EDL at a press conference alongside Mr Nawaz in a move brokered by Quilliam.
Responding to allegations he was the “middle man” in Mr Amin’s suspected plot with Mr Robinson, Mr Nawaz wrote on Twitter: “It’s all lies. Made up. Simple as that.”
Mr Robinson tweeted: “Beyond meeting Afzal at an open meeting a yr (sic) ago- organised to introduce me to Muslims after I left EDL-Maajid had no idea about this at all”.
Mr Nawaz refused to comment when approached by the Times.
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