RAYNER BACKS DOWN ON SECRETIVE DEFINITION OF ISLAMOPHOBIA – Definition was so expansive that it could threaten Free Speech

Angela Rayner has backed down on “secretive” plans for a new definition of Islamophobia after free speech campaigners threatened legal action.

The Deputy Prime Minister has expanded and extended a public consultation over the proposals, which critics are concerned will rubber-stamp a controversial definition.

The consultation will now run for an extra week, and a link for responses to the plans has been made public. The move followed complaints by the Free Speech Union (FSU), which said the new definition was being drawn up behind closed doors.

The FSU wrote to Ms Rayner expressing concern that the process would enshrine a definition which treats Islamophobia as a type of racism. The definition has been criticised for being so expansive that it could threaten free speech, act as a de facto blasphemy law and stifle legitimate criticism of Islam as a religion.

In his letter, Lord Young, the general secretary of the FSU, said the consultation questions appeared to be “heavily weighted” in favour of a “predetermined outcome”, endorsing a definition “closely aligned” with that put forward by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on British Muslims.

Ms Rayner’s department has extended the deadline to July 20 and widened the consultees. Lord Young said it needed to give sufficient time to take on board all the responses to the plan.

Lord Young said: “I’m glad the working group has abandoned its plans to confine its consultation to a small group of hand-picked activists in response to my letter.