Martin Cottingham

This is absolute nonsense Kemi and you know it. I met you alongside other colleagues over a year and a half ago and the definition was explained to you in detail - you were asked to detail your concerns / any objections and the basis of it . You DID NOT follow up. Instead all work on Islamophobia ( or whatever you feel we are allowed to call our racism ) has stopped. Ministers do not even engage with the governments OWN cross government working group on your preferred “anti Muslim hatred” The government has dragged its heels on any work to tackle this form of racism. The only structures and programs that still survive are what we put in place during a Cameron government over a decade ago. Amazing flagship programs like Remembering Srebrenica have been defunded. No new initiatives , no engagement with communities , no definition Instead culture wars , othering and blatant anti Muslim racism. As for “blasphemy laws” - you know this isn’t true , as was explained and evidenced in our meeting and as you are well aware the definition like the IHRA definition on antisemitism is a NON legally binding working definition not a “law” PS- just so colleagues word sensibilities are not triggered - the World will in a few weeks mark the United Nations International day to combat #Islamophobia.