by Nick Gutteridge and Tony Diver, Telegraph
Communities Secretary prepared to overrule advice from group working on official definition of anti-Muslim prejudice
Labour will overrule its independent advisers on the definition of Islamophobia if they suggest “blasphemy laws by the back door”, Steve Reed has said.
Ministers have commissioned advice on the definition of anti-Muslim hatred following a surge in incidents after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.
A working group, chaired by Dominic Grieve, the former Tory minister, will suggest how the Government should classify discrimination.
But campaigners have raised concerns that a stricter definition could harm free speech by effectively banning criticism of Islam, and exacerbate community tensions by creating a “two-tier” enforcement of discrimination.
Mr Reed, the Communities Secretary, has now told The Telegraph he is willing to overrule Mr Grieve and reject his definition if it would restrict legitimate speech.
“We haven’t got a definition to introduce yet,” he said. “There’s a group working on it and we’ll have to look at what they propose. But at the front of my mind in taking that decision will be I will defend free speech.”