Labour’s controversial Islamophobia definition — and the process by which it was drafted — stinks more and more of a cover-up every day. It was bad enough that Angela Rayner appointed five individuals to the Working Group tasked with drafting the definition, all of whom had troubling links to Islamist organisations, including the Muslim Council of Britain and MEND. Now, thanks to a Freedom of Information request by Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy, it has emerged that every submission to the Working Group’s consultation was deleted — apparently in breach of the Government’s own data policy. At every turn, Labour ministers have refused to answer straightforward questions from parliamentarians and key stakeholders such as the Free Speech Union. Who submitted evidence to the consultation? Did extremists have an opportunity to influence the drafting of the definition? Did ministers instruct officials to delete every response? It has also emerged that the Government pressed the Equality and Human Rights Commission to accept the proposed definition, despite the EHRC’s objections. The EHRC and the Free Speech Union repeatedly warned that this definition was unnecessary and would have a chilling effect on free speech. Laws already exist to protect people from religious hatred and discrimination. If Labour genuinely cared about tackling anti-Muslim hatred, it would enforce those laws — not introduce a definition that risks silencing legitimate debate. Read more below 👇