MEND Press Release: Labour reinstating Trevor Phillips panders to Islamophobia – Muslim organisations demand answers from Keir Starmer

Following the reinstatement of Trevor Phillips to the Labour Party having been suspended for Islamophobia, Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) has written to the General Secretary of the Labour Party and Sir Keir Starmer to express grave concerns that the reinstatement occurs without any apology or explanation, and without the matter being heard by the National Executive Committee.

Phillips’ statements include claims that:

• Muslims are “a nation within a nation”;
• A Muslim family fostering a non-Muslim girl is “akin to child abuse”;
• Muslims “see the world differently from the rest of us”.

In the letter, MEND has urged the General Secretary of the Labour Party and Keir Starmer to:

• Outline the process that led to Trevor Phillip’s reinstatement.
• Overturn his reinstatement in order for a full investigation to be completed.

Azhar Qayum, CEO of MEND, states:

“The decision made seemingly behind closed doors to reinstate Phillips is premature and raises serious questions about the process for handling Islamophobia within the Labour Party. Meanwhile, the narrowly escaped by-election defeat in Batley and Spen should be seen as a reflection of Muslim voters’ diminishing confidence in the Labour Party’s commitment to the issues that impact them and to tackling Islamophobia in particular. Therefore, this reinstatement can only serve to confirm the perception that Labour is no longer committed to tackling the discrimination that Muslims face.”