Kemi Badenoch has defended her shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, after he described Islamic public prayers as intimidating and un-British. The Conservative leader said the debate was not about freedom of religion but about how faith is expressed in shared public spaces.
Timothy sparked controversy by posting images of a Ramadan event in London's Trafalgar Square, calling mass prayer “an act of domination” and “straight from the Islamist playbook”. He doubled down in a Telegraph article, arguing the event should be banned as it was a challenge to British culture.
Speaking after a campaign launch, Badenoch said both Timothy's comments and concerns about gender-segregated prayers were correct. She expressed discomfort seeing women “pushed to the back” in Trafalgar Square, adding that religious expressions must conform to British values and norms.
Labour chair Anna Turley accused the Tories of adopting “gutter” politics by backing Timothy. She said the party had joined Reform UK in endorsing “Tommy Robinson-endorsed views”. The Open Iftar event, held for six years without prior criticism, was the last of 18 such gatherings across the country.
