Labour ‘incapable of tackling racism and Islamophobia’ amid far-right violence, warns NEC member

The Labour government is incapable of tackling racism and Islamophobia effectively, a member of its own national committee has claimed in the wake of widespread race riots.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Labour’s National Executive Committee member Mish Rahman has criticised Sir Keir Starmer for his failure to categorise the attacks as “terrorism”. He claimed the reluctance to label the violence as an act of terrorism reveals a troubling double standard, adding: “It suggests to me that it is terrorism when only committed by a Muslim. Language matters.”

This view was echoed by Britain’s former head of counter-terrorism Neil Basu, who warned that the worst far-right violence seen during riots across the country should be treated as terrorism during the start of the disorder.

Mr Rahman’s comments come in the wake of nationwide violence sparked by a tragic incident in Southport where three girls were killed in a knife attack at a dance class.

This triggered a wave of far-right violence with mobs storming into several hotels housing asylum seekers, immigration law firms and centres after false rumours and misinformation fuelled the claim that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.

One of many alarming incidents occurred at the Southport Islamic Centre, where rioters besieged the mosque, burning cars and pelting the building with rocks, leaving Muslims fearing for their lives.

Expressing his dismay at the events, the NEC member accused party leaders of not saying enough to call out the widespread targeting of ethnic minorities.

“The Conservatives are guilty of intentionally stoking division and hatred,” he said. “The Labour Party, in my opinion, has not shown that it has the solutions or understanding of how to deal with racism.”

Earlier this year Mr Rahman branded the party as “institutionally Islamophobic and racist”, following the deselection of former Labour candidate Faiza Shaheen and previously accused the now prime minister of “gaslighting” over his response to the crisis in Gaza.

While Mr Rahman welcomed Sir Keir’s recent efforts to protect ethnic minority communities after hundreds of rioters were arrested and charged for their violent actions, he argued the discussion and language around migration needs urgent change.

“Before the election you had Jonathan Ashworth and Keir Starmer bragging about sending back Bangladeshi people back to Bangladesh because it is a safe country. That hasn’t aged well with what has happened in Bangladesh since then,” he added. “We cannot disconnect the language and the subsequent actions. These are reactionary responses to problems which require sensible language and solutions.”

Calling for a more compassionate approach to discussions on migration, he said: “The right solutions to this problem are to speak about migration with compassion for minorities, without demonising them, by pointing out the real causes of immigration and not making it out or supporting a theory that immigrants are to blame for society’s ills.”

“Everyone that’s a person of colour is under threat,” he said. “Even Rishi Sunak didn’t escape the racism of Reform activists. He ended up being called the P-word. “Today we are facing the same threat our parents faced when they came here in the 70s and 80s.” 

The Independent has approached the Labour Party for comment.

In the wake of the far-right violence, the prime minister told those who “feel targeted because of the colour of your skin or your faith” that the “violent mob do not represent this country”.

Addressing the public on 5 August, he added: “People in this country have a right to be safe, and yet we have seen Muslim communities targeted and attacks on mosques.”

During a visit to Solihull Mosque on 8 August alongside the secretary of state for justice Shabana Mahmood, the PM promised that those involved in the riots will “feel the full force of the law” and since then more than 1,000 people have been arrested and more than 670 charged.