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The new council will be set up within Angela Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Angela Rayner is planning to create a council on Islamophobia and is lining up a former Tory minister to lead it, The Telegraph can reveal.
The 16-strong council will help advise on drawing up an official government definition for anti-Muslim discrimination and will provide advice to ministers on tackling Islamophobia, according to sources.
Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative attorney general and a prominent Remainer, has been “recommended” to chair the council within Ms Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as a politician who has been actively involved in tackling Islamophobia.
He chaired the Citizens’ UK Commission on Islam, which aimed to promote dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, and wrote a foreword to a controversial all-party parliamentary group’s report in 2018 that set out a definition of Islamophobia, which the Labour Party adopted.
The definition has been criticised for being so widely drawn that it curbs free speech, amounts to a de facto blasphemy law and stifles legitimate criticism of Islam as a religion.
Ms Rayner, pictured on the election campaign trail last year, is leading the drive against anti-Muslim discrimination
Among the 16 candidates shortlisted for the council is Qari Asim, a Leeds imam who was dismissed as a government adviser by the Tories in 2022 after backing calls for a ban on the film The Lady of Heaven, about the Prophet Mohammed’s daughter.
Ministers have yet to say whether they will adopt the all-party group’s definition of Islamophobia or an alternative. Opponents have urged them to shelve the plans because of free speech concerns.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: “The Government should drop its plans for such a deeply flawed definition of Islamophobia. Of course we should tackle anti-Muslim hate wherever it occurs, but this definition is a Trojan horse for a blasphemy law protecting Islam.
Charles Hymas Home Affairs Editor
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03 February 2025 9:24pm GMT
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The new council will be set up within Angela Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
Angela Rayner is planning to create a council on Islamophobia and is lining up a former Tory minister to lead it, The Telegraph can reveal.
The 16-strong council will help advise on drawing up an official government definition for anti-Muslim discrimination and will provide advice to ministers on tackling Islamophobia, according to sources.
Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative attorney general and a prominent Remainer, has been “recommended” to chair the council within Ms Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as a politician who has been actively involved in tackling Islamophobia.
He chaired the Citizens’ UK Commission on Islam, which aimed to promote dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, and wrote a foreword to a controversial all-party parliamentary group’s report in 2018 that set out a definition of Islamophobia, which the Labour Party adopted.
The definition has been criticised for being so widely drawn that it curbs free speech, amounts to a de facto blasphemy law and stifles legitimate criticism of Islam as a religion.
Ms Rayner, pictured on the election campaign trail last year, is leading the drive against anti-Muslim discrimination
Among the 16 candidates shortlisted for the council is Qari Asim, a Leeds imam who was dismissed as a government adviser by the Tories in 2022 after backing calls for a ban on the film The Lady of Heaven, about the Prophet Mohammed’s daughter.
Ministers have yet to say whether they will adopt the all-party group’s definition of Islamophobia or an alternative. Opponents have urged them to shelve the plans because of free speech concerns.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: “The Government should drop its plans for such a deeply flawed definition of Islamophobia. Of course we should tackle anti-Muslim hate wherever it occurs, but this definition is a Trojan horse for a blasphemy law protecting Islam.
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“Why do Labour MPs think it is acceptable to mock Christianity but not Islam? Time and again this Labour Government displays an Orwellian disregard for freedom of speech.”
The all-party group, which was co-chaired by Wes Streeting, who is now the Health Secretary, published its definition in 2018 after an 18-month consultation. It stated: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”
In his foreword, Mr Grieve said he “greatly welcomed” the report, saying it “makes an important contribution to the debate as to how Islamophobia can best be addressed. It is well researched and can give all of us food both for thought and positive action.”
In 2019, Mr Grieve was stripped of the Tory whip by Boris Johnson after rebelling on Brexit legislation. He stood as an independent candidate in the 2019 election.
Asked about the council, Mr Grieve said he had not received any formal approach from MCHLG but he told The Telegraph: “If I can be of assistance in doing something constructive requested by any government on a non-party political basis I am willing to consider it. It depends on what it is and whether I can add value and help the wider public service.”
Dominic Grieve has previously written a foreward to a report on Islamophobia Credit: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
Asked about the definition of Islamophobia, he said: “It was apparent at the time that defining Islamophobia is extremely difficult for perfectly valid reasons relating to freedom of expression.”
However, he said it was clear that “perfectly law-abiding Muslims going about their business and well integrated into society are suffering discrimination and abuse”.
Ms Rayner is also proposing a council on anti-Semitism, although it is understood that there are concerns among some within the Jewish community that another body is not necessary.
The creation of the council comes on top of plans by the Home Office to expand the recording of non-crime hate incidents for Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
Paul Stott, co-author of a Policy Exchange report last week on extremism, said: “The Government is giving off worrying vibes – that it is potentially amenable to restrictions on ‘blasphemy’ and that its mind is made up in favour of a definition of Islamophobia. If so, that is terrible news for freedom of speech.”
An MHCLG spokesman said: “All forms of religious and racial hatred have absolutely no place in our society. The Government engages regularly with faith communities to help foster strong working relationships and we are actively exploring a more integrated and cohesive approach to tackling racial and religious hatred, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Further details of this work will be set out shortly.”
