UK leader Burnham promises to fight anti-Muslim hatred after 'decade of division'

The UK government will soon appoint an anti-Muslim hostility adviser to avoid another “decade of division”, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said.

Mr Burnham met British Muslim community leaders at Downing Street with Communities Secretary Angela Rayner, for the first time since he became leader.

He acknowledged that Muslim communities across the UK had lived through “some of the worst examples of division”, including hatred online. A government adviser on Muslim affairs would be appointed shortly, he added.

Akeela Ahmed, who was at the meeting and heads the watchdog British Muslim Trust, said the role was a “positive initiative” as the community faced “huge challenges”.

“There is an awful lot to celebrate and build on in the British Muslim Community – there are huge successes in every field from community centres to global stars,” she told The National.

“But there are huge challenges too – anti-Muslim hate crime is rising, a mosque suffers an attack or racist incident every five days, and one in six of the wider population hold hostile views towards British Muslims.

“These are issues that must be addressed and at BMT we look forward to working with a new government adviser in fighting back against the forces of division.”

Mr Burnham has been under pressure to appoint an adviser since taking office this summer.

A “special representative” on Muslim affairs was first promised by former prime minister Keir Starmer in March, when the government unveiled its definition of anti-Muslim hate and other measures to protect the community.

The representative's role would be “to champion efforts across the UK to tackle hostility and hatred directed at Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim”, by engaging with communities, schools and other institutions.

In September, veteran Labour MP Afzal Khan warned there was “a clear need for the anti-Muslim hostility tsar to be appointed” as he told the government to “get on with it”.

Anti-Muslim hate crime has soared in recent years, largely due to growing far-right extremism.

London has seen a six-fold increase in anti-Muslim hate incidents in the last five years, according to the British charity Tell Mama. Last year saw the highest number of annual reported incidents in London on record, at 1,909. The figure for the whole of 2026 is expected to be even higher, having already reached 1,031 by the end of June.

The BMT, which is currently the government-backed watchdog, found that attacks on British mosques were becoming more severe, while lower level forms of harassment had decreased in the past year.

Mr Burnham said he wanted young British Muslims to feel “that this is their country, this country is behind them, working to support them, opening up opportunity”.

He also criticised the positions that opposition parties had taken towards Muslims as “completely unacceptable”.

“Some of the language that they use about the community is unacceptable,” he added.

The UK government will go ahead with its plans to commission a war memorial for hundreds of thousands of Muslim soldiers who died serving with the British Indian Army during the First and Second World Wars, Mr Burnham added. The project had been initiated by Mr Starmer, and is expected to cost almost £1 million ($1.33 million).