Kemi
Badenoch backs Nick Timothy after he calls Islamic public prayers ‘act of
domination’
Conservative
leader says debate not about freedom of religion, but its expression in shared
public space
Peter
Walker Senior political correspondent
Thu 19
Mar 2026 15.47 GMT
Kemi
Badenoch has backed her shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, after he
claimed that Islamic prayers taking place in public are intimidating and
un-British, with Labour saying the Conservatives had embraced the “gutter”
politics of prejudice.
The row
began after Timothy posted images on social media of prayer at a Ramadan event
in London’s Trafalgar Square, saying mass prayer in public places was “an act
of domination” and “straight from the Islamist playbook”.
After
heavy criticism, including from Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, who attended the
event, Timothy doubled down on his views, writing in the Daily Telegraph that
such an expression of a non-Christian faith was a “challenge” and a call for
replacement.
After a
speech to launch the Conservatives’ local election campaign in London on
Thursday, Badenoch was asked if she agreed with Timothy, or with arguments from
other Tories that the main worry about the event was about prayers being
separated for women and men.
“They are
both correct,” Badenoch said. “This is a country that has always tolerated
minority faiths and allowed people, including people of ethnic minorities, to
live freely.
“But this
debate which Nick is having is not about freedom of religion. It is about how
religion is expressed in a shared public space, and whether those expressions
fit within the norms of a British culture.”
She
added: “As a woman, especially, and as a woman of an ethnic minority who grew
up in a country where Islam was very visible, I’m very uncomfortable with
seeing women pushed to the back, in the middle of Trafalgar Square.”
While
religious festivities in Trafalgar Square were welcome, “they have to be
inclusive and also respectful of British culture”, Badenoch said, adding: “We
need to make sure that the religious expression is in conformity with our
values, our norms, our beliefs. And sometimes that does mean saying, actually,
no, that’s probably too much.”
Badenoch
did not explain how the “Open Iftar” event on Monday, where people were
encouraged to join in the breaking of the Ramadan fast at dusk, was not
inclusive or respectful of British culture.
It was
also not clear whether her reference to “pushed to the back” referred to the
separate prayers, or other aspects of the event.
Photographs
posted by the organisers appeared to show no separation beyond the prayers,
with women and men pictured together. Asked to clarify, Badenoch’s spokesperson
did not respond.
The
Trafalgar Square event was the last of 18 Open Iftars organised around the
country this Ramadan, with others taking place at the National Gallery and the
Tottenham Hotspur stadium and at Silverstone racing circuit in
Northamptonshire. It has taken place at Trafalgar Square for the past six
years, without criticism.
In his
Telegraph article, Timothy said the Trafalgar Square event should be banned,
writing: “A memorial to national independence, Trafalgar Square belongs to us
all. To use it as a stage for this act of domination and division is completely
wrong, and it should never be allowed to happen again.”
Anna
Turley, the Labour party chair, said: “Kemi Badenoch used her local election
launch to back her shadow justice secretary when she should have already sacked
him. It’s shameful that she lacks any backbone and won’t condemn his despicable
comments on Muslims.
“The
Tories have now joined Reform in the gutter by adopting Tommy Robinson-endorsed
views over Muslims peacefully praying in London.
“The
majority of Brits – including many Conservatives – will rightly be appalled by
it. It shows just how far the Tories have sunk.”
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