Richard Hermer, the attorney general, has challenged Kemi Badenoch to say whether she would object to Jewish prayer in public, after the Conservative leader backed one of her shadow ministers who said an Islamic prayer event was intimidating and un-British.
Hermer, one of the UK’s most prominent Jewish politicians, said Badenoch’s decision to support the views of Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, put her on a par with Reform UK and Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist.
After an event to mark Ramadan took place on Monday evening in London’s Trafalgar Square, Timothy posted images of mass prayers taking place, saying such an action in a public space was “an act of domination” and “straight from the Islamist playbook”.
Asked about her support for Timothy on Thursday, Badenoch said any public expressions of religion should “fit within the norms of a British culture”, and criticised the way men and women were separated for the Ramadan prayers, with men nearer the stage and women farther behind.
Hermer told the Guardian Badenoch needed to clarify her view. “Nick Timothy has said mass prayer in public places is an act of ‘domination’,” he said. “But when he and Kemi Badenoch were questioned about his appalling views, they seemed to only have an issue with Muslim events.
“Timothy and Badenoch’s comments beg the question – would they have a problem if I as a Jewish man, were praying in public? Or is it just Muslim prayer they find offensive, and contrary to ‘British values’?
“The Conservative party, like Reform and Tommy Robinson, is seeking to divide Britain. Instead, they should be celebrating our brilliantly welcoming and diverse country.”
Despite heavy criticism, Timothy has stuck by his views, using an article in the Daily Telegraph to say that Islamic prayer was a repudiation of other faiths, and that this amounted to a “challenge” to Christianity and a call to replace it.
In a move that has been backed by the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, he went on to say that the Trafalgar Square event should be banned.
The calls were rejected by a spokesperson for the prime minister, Keir Starmer, and a minister who said the government was “absolutely not” considering such a ban.
The Scotland Office minister, Kirsty McNeill, added: “We are looking forward to celebrations in Trafalgar Square around Easter, as we have enjoyed ones recently around Diwali and Hanukah last year.”
A No 10 spokesperson said on Friday: “The prime minister is clear that freedom of religion and the rights of peaceful expression are core British values and should be respected, whether it’s peaceful prayer, protest or the like.”
Asked after a speech whether she agreed with Timothy about Islam in particular being an issue, or with arguments from other Conservatives that the main worry was prayers being separated for women and men, Badenoch replied: “They are both correct.”
When a Conservative official was asked to clarify whether Badenoch was worried about any prayer being separated by gender, or if her concern was more specifically about Islam, the Guardian was pointed to this answer.
Badenoch said she was “very uncomfortable with seeing women pushed to the back, in the middle of Trafalgar Square”. She added: “We need to make sure that the religious expression is in conformity with our values, our norms, our beliefs. And sometimes that does mean saying: actually, no, that’s probably too much.”
The event, branded as Open Iftar, has taken place on Trafalgar Square for the past six years, and was attended on Monday by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan. It was the last of 18 such events this year, with others held at the National Gallery, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and at Silverstone racing circuit in Northamptonshire.
Photographs posted by the organisers appeared to show no separation beyond the prayers, with women and men pictured together for the rest of the event.
