Conservative Party members being investigated for Islamophobia can vote for the next prime minister

ITV News has learned that Conservative Party members who are under investigation for posting alleged Islamophobic comments could yet get to vote for the next prime minister.

Brandon Lewis, the party's Chairman, has told ITV News those being investigated would not automatically have their voting rights withdrawn, unless they had been suspended or expelled.

He said there was a "long-standing tradition [in this country] that you are innocent until proven guilty".

He told ITV News: "If somebody has posted Islamophobic comments and is found to have done that, we act swiftly, we would not accept them as a member of the party.

"But let's get the difference between the facts and some of the myth... a lot of the cases that people are saying have been referred to the party, and we've looked into them, are not members of the Conservative Party."