Communities secretary tells MPs that government has to act against record levels of hate crimes
A new definition of anti-Muslim hate will not restrict freedom of speech, the communities secretary has pledged, as he said that “clear expectations” will still be set for new arrivals and existing communities in Britain to learn English.
MPs were told by Steve Reed that the government had a duty to act against record levels of hate crime against Muslims, but that “you can’t tackle a problem if you can’t describe it”.
He was updating parliament on Monday on a new non-statutory definition for anti-Muslim hate, which was unveiled alongside a wider strategy on social cohesion.
The three-paragraph definition, released alongside a longer document, does not include a reference to race, which is understood to have been a focus of considerable debate among the five-member working group of experts set up to provide the government with the working definition.
