A TORY election candidate has been suspended after allegedly using far-right extremists in a “jaw-dropping” plot to win votes by stirring up racial hatred, the party confirmed yesterday.

Afzal Amin was accused of scheming to get the English Defence League (EDL) to announce a “phoney protest” against a new “mega-mosque” in the key marginal seat of Dudley North.

Mr Amin had planned to take credit for defusing the situation and getting the protest scrapped, keeping his role as its instigator secret, according to the Mail on Sunday.

He allegedly promised that, in return, he would be an “unshakeable ally” for the EDL in Parliament, helping to bring its views to the mainstream.

“If true, this is a shocking example of politicians exploiting division in communities to gain political points,” Unite Against Fascism secretary Weyman Bennett told the Star.

“But it’s not new. Enoch Powell did it and Nigel Farage is doing it.”

He added that Marx once found the same exploitation used by the ruling class to divide workers from England and Ireland.

Mr Amin is expected to face a full disciplinary hearing tomorrow to explain his actions after he was apparently covertly filmed talking about the deal.

Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson is believed to have captured the film and blew the whistle because he objected to being used as a pawn.

A spokesman for Hope Not Hate said: “Obviously we’ll have to wait for the situation to be revealed in its full context, but if the events portrayed are true, Hope Not Hate is astounded by the revelations.

“Racial or religious tensions should never be inflamed for the purposes of electoral advantage.”

“Decent people in politics share the wide consensus that the EDL are quite simply despicable,” said Labour deputy chairman Jonathan Ashworth.

“These allegations regarding such a senior Conservative Party figure in Afzal Amin are quite simply jaw-dropping.”

Mr Amin had been due to take on sitting Labour MP Ian Austin in the general election on May 7.

He strongly denies the allegations.

by Our News Desk