Kemi Badenoch has defended her shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, after he faced criticism for claiming that Islamic prayers in public were intimidating and un-British. Labour accused the Conservatives of embracing the “gutter” politics of prejudice.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, went further, describing the Trafalgar Square Ramadan event as “a shock” and an “open, deliberate, wilful attempt” to “overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life.” He was speaking at the launch of Reform UK’s Scottish manifesto.
Badenoch also criticised Sir Keir Starmer, claiming he had pulled out of an event organised by the same group behind the Trafalgar Square gathering because it was “highly controversial.” She accused him of “sucking up” to British Jews and called his stance “the mother of all hypocrisy.”
Speaking as a woman from an ethnic minority, Badenoch said she was “very uncomfortable” seeing women pushed to the back of the event, which she described as exclusionary. She said she was happy to see religious events in Trafalgar Square, but they had to be inclusive.
The source notes that Timothy’s original tweet attacking the event as “an act of domination” did not mention gender segregation, despite Badenoch’s claim that this was the primary Tory objection. Labour’s criticism and the ensuing dispute have highlighted divisions over the expression of religion in public spaces.
