Government department deletes all responses to consultation for the official Islamophobia definition

Max Thompson, Campaigns Officer

10 August 2026

In March, the Starmer Government announced the official definition of Islamophobia — repackaged as "anti-Muslim hostility" — which has already been weaponised to silence legitimate criticism and debate of Islam, its practices, and its history.

When it was first announced that the then Government intended to bring forward an official definition of Islamophobia, the Free Speech Union was one of the first — and loudest — voices warning against the negative consequences it would bring about, namely the chilling effect it would have on freedom of speech.

While the then, and now re-appointed, Communities Secretary Angela Rayner promised that the group tasked with drafting the definition would consist of varying voices with different opinions, she appointed a Working Group in which all five members had previously expressed sympathetic views on the need for such a definition. The Free Speech Union exposed, in Director of Policy and Research David Rose's briefing at the start of the year, the troubling links that all five members of the Working Group had to Islamist organisations, including MEND and the Muslim Council of Britain, with which successive governments have adopted a policy of non-engagement due to their extremist views. Despite repeated lines of questioning from the Free Speech Union and politicians in the House of Commons, the Government has refused to confirm or deny the involvement of these troubling extremist groups.

The Working Group reported to the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and when it launched its consultation, the Free Speech Union, along with a string of relevant stakeholders, was not informed or asked to respond — a point that Shadow Equalities Minister Claire Coutinho MP raised impactfully.

Since the definition was announced on the floor of the House of Commons by the then Communities Secretary, Steve Reed, in March, it has been used to silence legitimate criticism of Islam. When the Shadow Justice Secretary and Conservative MP, Nick Timothy, criticised the mass Muslim public prayer event in Trafalgar Square, he was accused of "Islamophobia", reported by Labour MPs to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, and even faced calls to resign from the then Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. 28 Labour MPs also wrote to Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), accusing Reform UK and Nigel Farage of Islamophobia and inviting the watchdog to launch an investigation into the party.

The Working Group operated in secrecy, and the whole thing stinks of a stitch-up with a pre-determined conclusion that the UK should return to its blasphemy laws — 18 years after Parliament voted to abolish them — and just for Islam alone.

Despite being reassured that the definition would not have a negative impact, it is clear to see that it has. South Wales Police went further than the Government's definition and published its own bespoke guidance instructing officers to log any comment that went beyond "legitimate" discussion of Islam. The incident would be recorded as an "anti-social behaviour incident" — which replaced the draconian non-crime hate incident (NCHI) regime — and could appear on an enhanced employment check, potentially preventing that individual from getting a job.

How can it be that, in a country with no blasphemy law, an officer from South Wales Police has the right to decide what constitutes "legitimate" discussion of Islam?

The Free Speech Union threatened the force with a judicial review if it did not withdraw the guidance; Claire Coutinho MP also reported the force to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. This was a successful campaign and resulted in the force deciding to "pause" its guidance.

The Working Group was promised to be independent, yet it has now emerged through a Freedom of Information request that the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government has deleted all responses that were submitted to the Working Group tasked with drafting the Islamophobia definition.

This revelation has rightly sparked questions that the Secretary of State must answer, as the public will question the lack of transparency and whether there is something the Government is trying to hide.

The Shadow Justice Secretary has now written to Angela Rayner, asking a series of questions to assess the involvement of extremist groups in drafting this de facto Islamic blasphemy law.

You can read Nick Timothy's letter here.