A security expert has warned that Labour's plans for an official definition of Islamophobia could place a "straitjacket" on investigations into grooming gangs, preventing proper scrutiny of past failures.
Paul Scott, Head of Security and Extremism at Policy Exchange, told GB News that any formal definition risks making people "too afraid to speak out" about legitimate concerns.
He told The People's Channel: "Well, our report basically starts from the premise that the ground on which British politics stands, or at least the ground for this debate, has completely shifted following the national audit by Baroness Casey.
"I think the Home Secretary seemed to recognise that over the weekend. There's now a recognition that people have been vilified in the past for making entirely sensible comments about grooming gangs.
Paul Scott said there are fears that Labour will "put a straitjacket' on the debate
GB NEWS
"Indeed, Louise Casey herself was nominated for 'Islamophobe of the Year' by one activist group, simply for a previous report she did on Rotherham.
"We also know that in Norfolk, a local MP came under heavy criticism, unfairly so, for raising legitimate concerns.
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"They were right to say what they did. It was their critics who were in the wrong.
"What we can't allow with this inquiry, once it gets going, is for it to be placed in a straitjacket.
"It needs to be free to investigate some very dark areas. It needs to get stuck into past failures, failures of policing and of local councils.
"Our fear is that if there's a formal definition of Islamophobia, people will be too afraid to speak out."
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been accused of conducting secretive talks to establish a government-wide definition of Islamophobia
PARLIAMENTDeputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has been accused of conducting secretive talks to establish a government-wide definition of Islamophobia that critics say could hamper discussions about grooming gangs.
The MP has established a working group to develop the definition, but Conservative frontbencher Claire Coutinho has raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the process.
Coutinho has written to Rayner accusing her of conducting the work in secret, without allowing the public to contribute their views through a consultation period.
The shadow equalities minister warned that a "culture of secrecy around matters relating to race and religion" was a key factor that had previously enabled "gangs of men to groom, rape, and torture young girls with impunity".
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She told The Telegraph: "The Casey report was crystal clear. For years, people were too scared to tell the truth about the rape and torture of children because they were scared of being called racist."
"Yet Labour is doubling down - pushing a secretive process including the voices of activists who have promoted extreme definitions of Islamophobia that would prevent people discussing genuine concerns around extremism and integration."
The Conservative frontbencher warned that such definitions would "stifle free speech" and "almost certainly would have prevented people from speaking out about the shocking abuse of young girls, disproportionately perpetrated by Pakistani Muslim men".
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