Keir Starmer has stood up for Muslims' right to worship as part of the diversity of London and the UK, as he defended public prayers in a dispute with the Conservative Party.
The British Prime Minister said the Tories had a “problem with Muslims” after one of its MPs said a mass Muslim public prayer was an “act of domination and division”.
Mr Starmer said the opposition party's position was that Muslims, including the Mayor of London, were not welcome to practise their faith in public.
He called for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to “denounce” shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy and sack him over the comments, posted on social media on Tuesday.
Mr Timothy was a senior adviser to Theresa May when she was prime minister.
After an event in Trafalgar Square at the weekend, which was attended by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Mr Timothy posted on X: “Mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination.
“Perform these rituals in mosques if you wish. But they are not welcome in our public places and shared institutions,” he said.
“Trafalgar Square belongs to all of us. It is a national memorial to our independence and our salvation.
“Last night was not like a televised football match or a St Patrick’s Day celebration. It was an act of domination and therefore division. It shouldn’t happen again.”
Similar religious gatherings have long taken place in the capital city, such as the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah and Easter Sunday processions.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Starmer said: “When I see religious events in Trafalgar Square, when I see Hindus celebrating Diwali, when I see Jews celebrating Hanukkah live, when I see Christians performing the Passion of the Christ, or Muslims praying, that shows the great strength of our diverse city and country.
“I’ve never heard her [Ms Badenoch's] party call out anything other than the Muslim events. It’s only when Muslims are praying. The only conclusion is the Tory Party has got a problem with Muslims.”
The Labour Party has lost support from Muslims because of its support for Israel after the October 7 attacks. It lost several seats to independent Muslim candidates at the last election, while in the most recent by-election it lost to the Green Party which has seen a surge in support due to its prominent stance on Gaza and focus on winning the Muslim vote.
Mr Starmer said the comments meant the Conservative Party had become aligned with far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson after Mr Robinson had posted supportively about Mr Timothy’s comments.
Responding to a question from Mrs Badenoch, Mr Starmer said: “She appointed the shadow justice secretary. He said last night that Muslims praying in public, including the Mayor of London, practising his faith, are not welcome.
“He described it as an act of domination. Straight from the Islamist playbook. If he was in my team, he’d be gone. It’s utterly appalling. She should denounce his comments and she should sack him.”
Mrs Badenoch said Mr Timothy was “defending British values” rather than “abolishing jury trials”, drawing comparisons with Justice Secretary David Lammy.
Mr Starmer continued: “Tommy Robinson isn’t some sort of moral signpost, he was pointing out how much their party has changed. They’re more inclined to his views, and he’s right about that. The fact he’s sitting on her front bench shows she’s too weak and has got absolutely no judgment.”
