Philosopher Roger Scruton is SACKED as a government advisor for his 'white supremacist' views after claiming Islamophobia is a propaganda invention, all Chinese people are 'replicas' and George Soros has an empire in Hungary

The controversial philosopher Sir Roger Scruton was fired as a Government adviser today over a series of 'white supremacist' remarks in a magazine interview. 

The academic, who advised the Government on housing policy, told theNew Statesman that Islamophobia was 'a propaganda word invented by the Muslim Brotherhood in order to stop discussion of a major issue'.

And of claims Jewish billionaire George Soros wields too much influence over Europe he said: 'Anybody who doesn't think that there's a Soros empire in Hungary has not observed the facts.' 

Sir Roger also rejected claims of mounting extremism in Hungary as he said 'the Hungarians were extremely alarmed by the sudden invasion of huge tribes of Muslims from the Middle East'. 

The Prime Minister faced immediate calls to fire him as a government official today.

Without hours, Government sources said: 'Professor Sir Roger Scruton has been dismissed as Chairman of the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission with immediate effect, following his unacceptable comments.'

Mrs May's deputy official spokesman said: 'These comments are deeply offensive and completely unacceptable. 

'It is right that he has been dismissed.'  

Sir Roger's job survived a previous round of condemnation over allegedly anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and homophobic remarks. 

Former Chancellor George Osborne said: 'Yesterday, leading Conservatives rightly ask what they can do to reconnect to modern Britain.

'Today, these bigoted remarks from the man they bizarrely appointed to advise them on housing.

'How can Downing Street possibly keep Roger Scruton as a government adviser?'   

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The Prime Minister (pictured today at PMQs) faced immediate calls to fire him as a government official today.

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Former Chancellor George Osborne condemned the 'bigoted' remarks and said Mrs May must sack Sir Roger immediately 

Labour MP Dawn Butler MP said his comments invoked the language of white supremacists

Journalists and commentator David Aaronovitch asked whether Scruton was aware his comments would inevitably lead to his sacking

Labour's Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary Dawn Butler said: 'These comments by Roger Scruton are despicable and invoke the language of white supremacists.

'His claim that Islamophobia does not exist, a few weeks after the devastating attack in Christchurch, is extremely dangerous, and his defence of the prejudice stoked by Viktor Orban's government in Hungary is appalling.

'He should never have been appointed but the Government should have sacked him when his horrific comments about rape, homosexuality, Islamophobia and antisemitism came to light, and when his association with far-right, neo-fascist organisations was exposed.

'Instead, they defended him, with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government praising him as 'a very brave defender of free speech'.

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In a statement the Muslim Council of Britain said Scruton had shared 'unashamedly bigoted ideas'

'Theresa May must sack Roger Scruton immediately. If she doesn't, it will be further evidence that she is turning a blind eye to the deep-rooted prejudices and racist views in the Conservative Party, and will again signal that her government endorses these disgusting views.'

A No 10 spokesman said he had not seen the remarks but added: 'He is an adviser on housing.

'It does not sound like in these comments he was speaking for the Government.' 

The New Statesman also published a comment perceived by many as Sinophobic, quoting Scruton as saying: 'each Chinese person is a kind of replica of the next one and that is a very frightening thing'.

However the full quote, which was truncated the magazine said for reasons of space, was a critique of heavy-handed interference by the Beijing government. 

Scruton said: 'They're creating robots out of their own people by so constraining what can be done. Each Chinese person is a kind of replica of the next one and that is a very frightening thing'.

The academic and philosopher was appointed in November of last year, to a role on a commission advising the government on housing.

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Housing Secretary James Brokenshire said Scruton was the right man for the job when appointing him just five months ago

James Brokenshire, the Housing and Local Government Secretary, said at the time: 'In the selection of commissioners, my priority is to assemble experts who can provide real expertise and challenge on design quality, and a commitment to building places that communities value and support. 

'Professor Sir Roger Scruton is a global authority on aesthetics, and was knighted for services to philosophy, teaching and public education in 2016. He is one of the country’s leading living philosophers. 

'His commitment to promoting beauty in the built environment is well known, and he has published extensively on the subject. He was an adviser on design to the coalition Government.

'As this was an advisory appointment, due diligence checks were carried out and considered prior to Sir Roger Scruton’s selection as unpaid chair. With his experience and commitment to this important agenda, Sir Roger is the right person to chair the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.'

Scruton was knighted in the Queen's 2016 birthday honours list for 'services to philosophy, teaching and public education'.

He first rose to wider prominence in 2008, when he presented a BBC Two documentary called Why Beauty Matters, about art and architecture, in which he argued for the importance and transcendental nature of beauty.

His appointment caused immediate controversy after it emerged that in years past he had made comments dismissing homosexuality as 'not normal', date rape a 'supposed crime' and sexual harassment as 'advances made by the unattractive'.

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Last year the government stood by Scruton after it emerged he has claimed there was no such thing as date rape and that homosexuality was not normal

The government faced called to sack him within a week after Buzzfeed News revealed Sir Roger, during a lecture called 'Sexual Morality for Heathens' at Rice University in Houston, Texas, in 2005, claimed women who made allegations of date rape were withdrawing their consent afterwards because 'the whole thing went too quickly.'

'Whole new crimes have come into existence, like this supposed crime of 'date rape,' he said, according to Buzzfeed.

'What that means is – of course there is no such crime – but nevertheless, when a woman cries "date rape", what she means is "the whole thing went too quickly".

'You know, "I was not prepared," and so consent is withdrawn, as it were, in retrospect.'

He also said: 'Nowadays, of course, "sexual harassment" just means sexual advances made by the unattractive, who are the majority, so there is a huge injustice in this.'

In a Telegraph article in 2007, Scruton wrote: 'Every now and then, however, we wake up to the fact that, although homosexuality has been normalised, it is not normal.'

And on BBC Radio 4's A Point of View in October 2015 he said: 'The orthodox liberal view is that homosexuality is innate and guiltless.

'Like the Islamists, the advocates of this view have invented a phobia with which to denounce their opponents.

'Deviate in the smallest matter from the orthodoxy, and you will be accused of homophobia and, although this is not yet a crime, it is accompanied, especially for those with any kind of public office, by real social costs.'

Despite the backlash over comments Sir Roger made about Islamophobia and homophobia, the government insisted in November he was an 'excellent' candidate to advise ministers on housing.