LONDON mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said he was "heartbroken, sad and angry" after a senior Tory MP described a mass Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square as "an act of domination and division", and called on the public not to be welcome in shared civic spaces.
Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy made the remarks on X after hundreds of Muslims gathered at an open iftar event in Trafalgar Square on Monday (16) evening. The event, organised by the Ramadan Tent Project, marked the breaking of the Ramadan fast. Sir Sadiq, who attended and led prayers, was among thousands present.
"Too many are too polite to say this," Timothy posted. "But mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination. Perform these rituals in mosques if you wish. But they are not welcome in our public places and shared institutions."
He added: "I am not suggesting everybody at Trafalgar Square last night is an Islamist. But the domination of public places is straight from the Islamist playbook. It was an act of domination and therefore division. It shouldn't happen again."
Sir Sadiq, who has been mayor of London for ten years, said he could understand why British Muslims were frightened by the comments. "I'm a born and raised Londoner," he said. "I've never really lived anywhere else. I'm heartbroken, sad and angry. I can understand why many British Muslims are scared by somebody so senior who wants to be Lord Chancellor saying what he said."
He responded on X by posting photographs of Trafalgar Square hosting Christian Easter celebrations, Hindu Diwali, Sikh Vaisakhi and Jewish Hanukkah alongside images from Monday's iftar. "London is, and will always be, a place for everyone," he wrote.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer raised the matter at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday (18), calling on Tory leader Kemi Badenoch to sack Timothy from the shadow front bench.
Nick Timothy UK Parliament
"He said that Muslims praying in public, including the mayor of London practising his faith, are not welcome," Sir Keir told the Commons. "He described it as an act of domination. If he was in my team, he'd be gone. It's utterly appalling. She should denounce his comments and she should sack him."
Sir Keir went further, saying the episode showed Tories had aligned themselves with far-right activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who had posted approvingly of Timothy's remarks. "Even Tommy Robinson has said that if the shadow justice secretary had made these hateful comments two years ago, the Conservative Party would have kicked him out," the prime minister said. "He was pointing out how much their party has changed."
Sir Keir added: "When I see Hindus celebrating Diwali, Jews celebrating Chanukah, Christians performing the Passion of the Christ, or Muslims praying, that shows the great strength of our diverse city and country. I've never heard her party call out anything other than the Muslim events. The only conclusion is the Tory Party has got a problem with Muslims."
Anna Turley, chair of the Labour Party, wrote to Badenoch urging her to act. "It is utterly appalling to say that Muslims praying in public are not welcome," she wrote. "You have the opportunity now not to repeat that mistake. I urge you to show leadership and sack Nick Timothy today."
Deputy prime minister David Lammy told Timothy to "stop fanning the flames of division", pointing out that Sikhs, Jews, Hindus and Christians had all been invited by Sir Sadiq to mark religious festivals in Trafalgar Square.
The gathering at Trafalgar SquareTrafalgar Square
Lucy Powell, Labour's deputy leader, called Timothy's remarks "an extreme reaction", saying people of all faiths working together represented "the real Britain".
Badenoch, however, stood by her shadow minister throughout, telling the Commons he was "defending British values". Her spokesman said freedom of religion "does not mean the freedom to do anything" and argued the event had involved the "exclusionary use of our shared civic spaces". He conceded, however, that there was no proof women had been formally barred from attending.
Timothy himself refused to back down on Wednesday, accusing critics of "wilful misunderstanding" and insisting his point was about the nature of mass ritual prayer in public rather than Muslims gathering as such.
Former Tory attorney general Dominic Grieve was among those in his own party to break ranks, describing the post as "very odd" and questioning whether Timothy was proposing "discriminatory legislation targeted at Muslims".
Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake posted on X: "We support Nick Timothy 100 per cent."
