Sir Keir Starmer has claimed the Conservative Party “has a problem with Muslims” after the shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, described public Muslim prayers as “an act of domination”. During Prime Minister’s Questions, the prime minister urged Kemi Badenoch to sack Timothy over a post on X sharing a clip of Sadiq Khan and others praying in Trafalgar Square.
Timothy wrote that “mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination”, adding it was “straight from the Islamist playbook”. Starmer said: “If he were in my team he would be gone. She should denounce his comments and she should sack him.” Badenoch defended Timothy, saying he was “defending British values”.
The comments have reignited a controversy over alleged Islamophobia in the Tory party. Former party co-chair Sayeeda Warsi said she was receiving messages from Conservative Muslims who “feel they are not welcome any more”, calling the approach “electoral suicide”. Starmer noted he had “never seen her party call out anything other than Muslim events”.
Timothy doubled down, saying the adhan (Islamic call to prayer) was “a declaration of domination” when performed publicly. Scholars rejected this; Imam Qari Assam said it was “a simple call to worship – an invitation”. Prof Javed Khan suggested the remarks could fall under the new definition of anti-Muslim hostility.
