Badenoch backs Nick Timothy after he calls Islamic public prayers act of domination'

"This is a country that has always tolerated minority faiths and allowed people, including people of ethnic minorities, to live freely. But this debate which Nick is having is not about freedom of religion. It is about how religion is expressed in a shared public space, and whether those expressions fit within the norms of a British culture."

"As a woman, especially, and as a woman of an ethnic minority who grew up in a country where Islam was very visible, I'm very uncomfortable with seeing women pushed to the back, in the middle of Trafalgar Square."

"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."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch backed shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy's controversial claims that Islamic prayers in public spaces are intimidating and un-British. Timothy criticized mass prayer at a Ramadan event in Trafalgar Square as an act of domination reflecting Islamist ideology. After facing criticism from London Mayor Sadiq Khan and others, Timothy reiterated his position in the Telegraph, characterizing public non-Christian religious expression as a challenge to British culture. Badenoch endorsed both Timothy's concerns and other Conservative criticisms regarding gender segregation at the event. She argued the issue centers on how religion is expressed in shared public spaces rather than religious freedom itself, emphasizing that religious expression must align with British cultural values and norms.

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