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

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.”