Hard-right UK politician Nigel Farage has said he would ban mass Muslim prayer at historic public sites if he became prime minister, prompting criticism that he is singling out Muslims despite a long tradition of public religious events in Britain.
Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, made the comments after a Ramadan open iftar event in London’s Trafalgar Square, which he claimed was an "attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life".
"We have to stop this kind of mass demonstration, provocative demonstration, in historic British sites, because that’s what it is," he said on Thursday.
Asked during a visit to Scotland whether he supported banning all mass religious observances, Farage replied "yes". However, he went on to single out Muslims, adding, “mass prayer is banned, mass Muslim prayer is banned, in many Muslim countries in the Middle East itself".
Pressed on whether the ban would apply equally to other faiths, he said: "I’ve never seen Jewish services taking place in places of historic Christian worship, or anywhere else."
Farage’s remarks have been widely criticised as targeting Muslims in particular, especially his characterisation of public Islamic worship as an attempt to "dominate" British society.
Critics note that public religious expression is a longstanding feature of British civic life across multiple faiths.
Trafalgar Square itself regularly hosts large-scale religious events, including Christian gatherings and performances such as the annual Passion of Jesus on Good Friday, as well as Diwali celebrations attended by tens of thousands of people and backed by the Mayor of London.
Christian marches and public acts of worship, such as the "March for Jesus", have historically drawn large crowds in cities across the UK, while Jewish and other faith-based community events are also regularly held in public spaces.
Critics argue that Farage’s framing of Muslim prayer as uniquely "provocative" or threatening contrasts sharply with the acceptance of similar public expressions by other religious groups.
The controversy follows comments by Conservative justice spokesperson Nick Timothy, who wrote on X that "mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination" and said such practices were "not welcome in our public places and shared institutions".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to sack Timothy over the remarks, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan described them as a "disgrace" and a "megaphone dog whistle".
Badenoch said the Conservatives supported religious observance in public spaces but she also backed Timothy's comments, saying "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 British culture".
On Friday, Anna Turley MP, Chair of the Labour Party, accused the Tories of "endorsing Tommy Robinson endorsed views over Muslims", referring to the far-right Islamophobic activist.
The debate highlights the growing prominence of so-called culture war issues in British politics, with Farage’s Reform UK party having led national opinion polls for much of the past year.