by Will Jones, The Daily Sceptic
Angela Rayner has backed down on “secretive” plans for a new definition of Islamophobia, expanding and extending a public consultation on the proposals, after the Free Speech Union threatened legal action. The Telegraph has more.
The Deputy Prime Minister has expanded and extended a public consultation over the proposals, which critics fear will rubber-stamp a controversial definition.
The consultation will now run for an extra week and a link for responses to the plans has been made public.
The move followed complaints by the Free Speech Union (FSU), which said the new definition was being drawn up behind closed doors.
The FSU wrote to Ms Rayner expressing concern that the process would enshrine a definition which treats Islamophobia as a type of racism.
The definition has been criticised for being so expansive that it could threaten free speech, act as a de facto blasphemy law and stifle legitimate criticism of Islam as a religion.