THE Muslim Council of Scotland has accused the Conservative Party of having a “deep problem” of racism and Islamophobia in light of the Stephen Goldsack scandal.

The North Lanarkshire councillor was elected last year on a Tory ticket.

However, he was expelled from the party on Tuesday after evidence emerged of ties with the BNP. This includes an archived post listing “Steve Goldsack” as the party’s “Scottish security adviser”.

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Goldsack has not responded to requests for comment on the matter and remains a representative for Stepps, Chryston and Muirhead.

The matter emerged after The National told how SNP councillor Shahid Farooq had reported him to a watchdog over comments said to have been made over a mosque planning bid. Goldsack denies any prejudice or wrongdoing.

Yesterday the Muslim Council of Scotland linked the case to other controversies to hit the Tory party in recent months and called for both action and answers.

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Spokesperson Omar Afzal said: “Recent cases in other parts of the UK, including suspensions before the local council elections, have shown how deep a problem racism and Islamophobia is within the Conservatives. This case again goes to highlight that Scotland, unfortunately, isn’t an exception.

“The party has taken the right decision. In order to overcome institutional and structural racism, these kinds of attitudes need to be flushed out.

“They are unacceptable, especially from an elected representative.”

In an interview with Sky News earlier this month, Conservative Party deputy chairman James Cleverly said “all parties” had problems with individuals within their ranks.

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He said: “There are individuals in all parties – these are big organisations – who say and do things that are completely inappropriate. The question is how you deal with it.”

The Scottish Conservatives took moved to expel Goldsack on Tuesday, within hours of The National contacting them about the story. But yesterday the organisation Hope Not Hate said questions remain unanswered.

A spokesperson said: “The Tories have made the right decision to remove Stephen Goldsack.

“There remains the question of how he got into the party in the first place, of course, and for those responsible for vetting candidates.

“No-one should be in any doubt that the BNP was a virulent, neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic party that tried to spread poison and division across the UK.

“Its former leader Nick Griffin was a notorious Holocaust denier with links to scores of extremists worldwide. It was, and is, a movement entirely beyond the pale of acceptable politics. Thankfully the party has now all but expired. However, in its wake have emerged rival street movements and gangs which are, if anything, far more extreme.

“That is the BNP’s toxic legacy.”

The BNP would neither confirm nor deny that Goldsack had been a member or candidate.

Meanwhile, Motherwell and Wish-aw MP Marion Fellows yesterday condemned Goldsack and called for unity across the area.

She said: “It is extremely concerning that someone with fascist links such as this was able to ascend to the position of councillor.

“With the list of suspensions and expulsions of Tory councillors in Scotland growing, it is apparent there is an endemic problem of right-wing extremism in the Tory party that must be driven out.

“There is far more that unites us than divides us. We should never give ground to racism in North Lanarkshire, Scotland or across the UK.”