Attorney general challenges Badenoch on whether she would object to Jewish prayer in public after Muslim row
A key ally of Sir Keir Starmer has challenged Kemi Badenoch to say whether she would object to Jews praying in public after a leading member of the Conservative Party sparked an extraordinary debate.
Ms Badenoch has faced calls to sack shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy over his comments describing Muslim public worship as “an act of domination and division”.
Mr Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said on X, formerly Twitter, following a Muslim prayer event in Trafalgar Square that such rituals were “unwelcome in public places and in our partner institutions”.
Sir Keir condemned the comments as “utterly appalling” and accused the Conservative Party of having a “problem with Muslims”.
But Ms Badenoch stood by Mr Timothy, saying he was “defending British values”.
Now attorney general Richard Hermer has challenged him, saying: “Nick Timothy said mass prayer in public places was an act of ‘domination’. But when he and Kemi Badenoch were questioned about their appalling views, they only seemed to have a problem with Muslim events.”
“Timothy and Badenoch’s comments beg the question: would they have a problem if I, a Jew, prayed in public? Or do they just find Muslim prayer offensive and against ‘British values’?”
“Reform and the Conservative Party, like Tommy Robinson, are trying to divide Britain. Instead, they should celebrate our incredibly welcoming and diverse country.”
Labor London mayor Sadiq Khan was among those attending Monday’s Open Iftar event, which has been held in Trafalgar Square for several years.
In an article for Telegram Speaking to the newspaper, Mr Timothy stated that the Trafalgar Square event should be banned and wrote: “Trafalgar Square, the monument of national independence, belongs to all of us. Using this place as a stage for this act of domination and separatism is completely wrong and this should never be allowed to happen again.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the event as “an attempt to take over, intimidate and dominate our way of life”.
A Labor source said: “The Conservatives are sinking to new depths by copying the rhetoric of Reform and Tommy Robinson and making Muslim communities in this country feel unwelcome. The majority of Britons, including many Conservative voters, will be appalled by their comments.”
“If Kemi Badenoch had a backbone, she would condemn Timothy’s vile comments. Instead, she is doing what she did to Robert Jenrick, ignoring his extreme rhetoric because she is too weak to do anything else.”
No 10 said the Prime Minister disagreed with calls to ban outdoor prayer: “No, absolutely not… The Prime Minister is clear that freedom of religion and the right to peaceful expression are fundamental British values and must be respected, whether for peaceful prayer, protest or assembly.”
When approached for comment, the Conservative Party noted that Ms Badenoch had expressed “discomfort to see women being pushed to the back in an exclusionary event in the middle of Trafalgar Square”.
Photos published by the organizers of the event show men and women taken together outside of prayer. In some Jewish communities, men and women are separated during prayer.
