Sir Lincoln Lad

Angela Rayner appointed five people to a Working Group tasked with drafting the “anti-Muslim hostility” definition. All five had troubling links to Islamist organisations, including the Muslim Council of Britain and MEND. Successive governments have followed a policy of non-engagement with these groups since 2009 because of concerns about their extremism. The Free Speech Union and Shadow Justice Secretary @NJ_Timothy asked the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, through a Freedom of Information request, who had been able to submit evidence to the consultation. The department initially said it had deleted all the responses — apparently contrary to the Government’s own data policy. After @SpeechUnion threatened legal action unless the department disclosed who had been consulted, an internal investigation was launched. The ministry’s most senior civil servant then confirmed that the responses were still held on its data system, but refused to reveal the names. This is not normal behaviour. We smell a rat. We have repeatedly asked whether Islamist groups had the opportunity to influence the process that produced what we regard as a de facto Islamic blasphemy law. The department’s handling of the consultation has only deepened our concerns. Now @AngelaRayner is set to appoint an “anti-Muslim hostility” tsar. Given her track record, we are horrified by who she might choose.