British premier urges sacking of shadow minister over his comments on Muslims praying in public

LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on the Conservative Party to sack Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy over comments he made on social media about Muslims praying in public.

During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, Starmer said Timothy's post about Muslims praying in Trafalgar Square is unacceptable.

Accompanying a video of Muslims praying at the event, Timothy wrote: "Mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination."

He added: "Perform these rituals in mosques if you wish. But they are not welcome in our public places and shared institutions."

Starmer told Tory leader Kemi Badenoch she should "denounce his comments and she should sack him."

"I see religious events in Trafalgar Square when I see Hindus celebrating Diwali, when I see Jews celebrating Chanukah live, and when I see Christians performing the Passion of Christ or Muslims praying; that shows the great strength of our diverse city," he said.

"I've never heard her party call out anything other than the Muslim events, so only when Muslims are praying. The only conclusion is the Tory party has got a problem with Muslims," he added.

Badenoch defended Timothy, saying: "My shadow justice secretary is defending British values. I know who I would rather have sitting on the front bench next to me."

Timothy has since accused people of interpreting his post with "willful misunderstanding."

Home Office statistics show that hate crimes targeting Muslims are now at record levels: in the year to March 2025, there were 4,478 religious hate crimes against Muslims, making up almost half of all religious hate crimes.

Nigel Farage, the far-right Reform UK leader, also asked questions about energy policy during the session.

Farage emphasized that Norway has 49 drilling sites for gas and oil, whereas the UK has none on its side of the North Sea.

He asked whether the prime minister believes the UK should become self-sufficient in natural gas.

Starmer replied that oil and gas will be part of the mix of energy for "many years" to come. He criticized Farage for advocating a war he said Farage "should rush into" before changing his mind a week later.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey asked about the UK’s nuclear deterrent program.

He noted that the UK relies on the US to supply and maintain the Trident missiles that carry British-built warheads and said: "The Conservatives and Reform say we must rely on the US because we couldn't possibly do it ourselves—does the prime minister agree with them?"

Starmer said renewing the nuclear deterrent will be done in the "best interests of Britain," but claimed Davey is proposing a plan "without knowing how much it will cost or how it will work."