UK’s ruling Conservative Party has Islamophobia ‘problem’: Report

Most reports of discrimination within the party relate to anti-Muslim sentiment, a study finds, as Boris Johnson is criticised over ‘insensitive’ burqa comments.

Islamophobia “remains a problem” within the United Kingdom’s ruling Conservative Party despite its claim to have a “zero-tolerance” approach towards discrimination, according to an independent report. Tuesday’s study (PDF) by Professor Swaran Singh, who has served as a commissioner for the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission, found that most discrimination within the party relates to anti-Muslim racism. The party received reports of 727 incidents of discrimination from the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2020, two-thirds of which alleged Islamophobia.