Rupert Lowe reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for speaking about Islam, Muslims and Pakistanis

Max Thompson

22 September 2026

The Government repeatedly offered assurances to the Free Speech Union and others that the "anti-Muslim hostility" definition would not have a chilling effect on free speech. Well, it very much has — and it is hard not to constantly reach for the "we told you so" button.

Since the definition was published by the then Communities Secretary, Steve Reed, back in March, it has repeatedly been used to silence legitimate criticism and debate of Islam, its history and its practices.

Within forty-five minutes of Steve Reed announcing the definition on the floor of the House of Commons, the Pro-Gaza independent MP, Iqbal Mohamed, leapt to his feet demanding that the Secretary of State incorporate the definition into the Nolan Principles of Public Life. This would mean that Parliamentarians would face sanction for raising concerns about Islamist extremism or the grooming gangs scandal. We already have the Online Safety Act, which censored Katie Lam's infamous and graphic speech on the floor of the House of Commons documenting the horrors of the rape gangs scandal; we do not need a state-sponsored blasphemy law to silence it further.

It has now been reported that Rupert Lowe MP, the leader of Restore Britain, has been reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards as a result of his "repeated rhetoric about Muslim, Islam and Pakistanis." This is an attempt to have him ejected from Parliament.

The Islamic campaign group 5Pillars posted on X that it had seen the formal complaint levelled against Mr Lowe, which argued that his public statements are "so serious and sustained that they risk damaging the reputation and integrity of Parliament itself."

The report itself has focused on Rupert's use of the term "Pakistani Muslim rape gangs" and his claim that there was an "undeniable link" between Islam and the rape gangs, as well as his warnings about the "Islamification of Britain." It is a fact that Baroness Casey's 2025 review into the sexual exploitation of children found that there was an over-representation of men from Asian and Pakistani heritage involved, and that authorities shied away from addressing this fact for fear of being branded racist or Islamophobic and stirring up community tensions.

It is not a crime to discuss the grooming gangs scandal or Islamist extremism. On the contrary, it is incumbent on all elected representatives to speak out. The criminals are those who perpetrated the systematic abuse of white working-class girls — and those who helped cover it up.

The "anti-Muslim hostility" definition has been weaponised to silence those who dare to criticise, challenge, debate or mock Islam. It risks stifling the important conversations that our politicians should — and must — have to address issues like the grooming gangs scandal and Islamist extremism. It will also prevent those in public services vital to the safety of British citizens from doing their jobs for fear of being labelled racist.

Earlier this year, South Wales Police attempted to introduce their own even more zealous Islamophobia definition, which would see officers being instructed to record incidents that go beyond "legitimate" discussion of Islam. Why should a police officer have the right to decide what constitutes legitimate or illegitimate discussion of Islam in a country where its Parliament voted to abolish blasphemy laws eighteen years ago? The Free Speech Union threatened to take legal action in the form of a judicial review should the force not withdraw its guidance, and Claire Coutinho, the then Shadow Minister for Equalities, wrote to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. After this threat, the force backed down and "paused" its guidance. The Free Speech Union believes that there is no way that this force will revive this plan and hopes that this example serves as a warning to other public bodies that we will take them on — and win — should they attempt to do the same.

We have been here before — but this is perhaps even more sinister. When Nick Timothy, the Shadow Justice Secretary, dared to criticise a mass Muslim prayer event in Trafalgar Square, he was branded "Islamophobic," reported by Labour MPs to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, called a racist by the Equalities Minister at the despatch box, and even faced calls to resign from the then Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

Reform UK was reported by 28 Labour MPs to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) over comments and rhetoric from a number of its senior figures, including Nigel Farage, relating to the mass prayer event at Trafalgar Square. These censorious MPs urged the EHRC to launch an investigation into this alleged "Islamophobia."

Since entering Parliament, Rupert — amongst other MPs like Katie Lam — has done some truly brilliant work shining a light on the grooming gangs scandal. We must not let a blasphemy law via the back door for Islam alone stop people from speaking out.