By Michael Wongsam
The racist politics currently being pursued by the two traditional parties has resulted in steep declines among Muslim voters.
Yet, despite Labour being heavily exposed to the Muslim vote in many parliamentary constituencies the government continues with an ineluctable surge to the right generally, but particularly in relation to its attitude to the Muslim community. Nor can it be said that the Muslim vote can be taken for granted, as was decisively shown at the General Election and at the recent local elections. And still the racist character of the governmental agenda is further revealed with almost every policy decision.
Deprivation of citizenship
On Monday, 14 July 2025 the government published its Deprivation of Citizenship Orders (Effect during Appeal) Bill. It raced through all its remaining Commons stages in one afternoon without a division, revealing an overwhelming level of agreement in parliament on this question. The Bill was brought forward because of a Supreme Court decision (N3 & ZA v Secretary of State for the Home Department UKSC 6) which affirmed that when a citizenship deprivation order is withdrawn, following a successful appeal or for other reasons, it should be treated as if it never had effect.
This means the individual is considered a British citizen throughout the period covered by the withdrawn order. Since the present orientation of the government is to facilitate the maximum volume of removals, its first instinct is to change the law which hitherto hindered this objective in order to expedite its objectives. Therefore,
“The purpose of the Bill is to ensure that a deprivation order continues to have legal effect during the appeal period which will conclude when any appeal from the lower court has been finally determined or the time period in which to appeal has elapsed. This will mean that an appellant does not immediately regain British citizenship following a successful appeal brought under section 40A of the 1981 Act or section 2B of the 1997 Act.”
The effect of the Bill is to normalise and extend temporary statelessness even after a successful decision in a lower court, which in effect renders the decision meaningless, until conformed by a higher court as ministers continue litigation. As the Institute of Race Relations explains, deprivation powers were “shaped by racism”, creating a disposable class of mostly Muslim citizens of South-Asian and Middle-Eastern heritage. Migrants’ Rights Network warns it “expands extreme counter-terror powers to target migrants”, noting that the recent cases driving the change all involved Britons of Bangladeshi background. The progress of the Bill confirms a further surge to the right by the government, and the speed of the progress confirms that this rightward surge is reflective virtually of the whole of parliament.
Stamer agrees to open new inquiry into child sex abuse
Two of Starmer’s U-turns have been concessions to progressive pressure from backbenchers and the public over welfare reforms: winter fuel allowance; and disability benefits. These have placed political obstacles in the way of Labour’s rightward trajectory. However, the there have been U-turns in response to the reactionary pressure, which have accelerated Labour’s rightward trajectory. One of these is Starmer’s decision to set up a national investigation into so called ‘grooming gangs’. The impetus for this was provided by the extraordinary intervention by Elon Musk, and pressure has been gathering ever since, led notably by Reform UK.
Previously, the government argued that the issue had already been examined, and that its priority was implementing the findings of the previous investigation into child sexual abuse. Now Starmer has accepted recommendations from Louise Casey, who was asked earlier this year to review the data and evidence on the nature and scale of abuse.
Ms. Casey, a member of the House of Lords, had originally thought a full national inquiry was unnecessary but had since changed her mind. However, she was concerned that there needed to be ‘responsible‘ use of the data. In relation to data from Greater Manchester Police she said: “If you look at the data on child exploitation, suspects and offenders, it is disproportionately Asian heritage”. “If you look at the data for child abuse, it is not disproportionate and it is white men.”
This matter will again promote the demonisation of Muslims back towards the top of the political agenda for an extended period of time.
Small boats
The cumulative number of arrivals in 2025 now stands at a provisional total of 21,690. This is 54 per cent higher than at the same point last year, when the total stood at 14,058, and 65 per cent higher than at this stage in 2023, when the total was 13,110. That alone is sufficient to guarantee that the issue of channel crossings in small boats will be maintained close to the top of the political agenda by the overwhelming majority of political forces. Prime Minister Starmer has taken the opportunity to make yet another surge to the right.
According to the agreement with France made following Macron’s state visit, about 50 migrants a week will be deported back to France in exchange for other migrants from France being allowed to claim asylum in the UK ‘through a safe and legal route’, where they have not tried to cross on a small boat. The fact that such safe and legal routes do not as yet exist appears to be small detail.
However, under the Brexit agreement, France is obliged to consult the EU commission over the bilateral deal because migration is a bloc-wide competency. It will have to be ratified by the commission and EU states, five of which – Italy, Spain, Malta, Cyprus and Greece – have already criticised the deal.
However, this latest Anglo-French agreement is very similar to a measure previously proposed by Robert Jenrick in 2023 to then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Robert Jenrick, now the shadow justice secretary, wrote:
“We should be willing to make highly meaningful concessions such as offering to take one asylum seeker that has been successfully granted asylum in the French system in return for one illegal migrant that we return to them.
“Or indeed more than one. It is highly probable that the certainty of return to France would quickly break the business model of the smugglers.”
This was not adopted by Rishi Sunak, but is now being taken forward by Strarmer.
Definition of Islamophobia
Finally, Angela Rayner has backed down on ‘secretive’ plans for a new definition of Islamophobia after free speech campaigners (FSU) threatened legal action. As a result, the consultation will now run for an extra week. The FSU said the new definition – put forward by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on British Muslims – was being drawn up behind closed doors, and that organisations that might submit alternative views had not been invited to submit evidence.
Organisations such as the FSU are strongly opposed to the adoption of a definition of Islamophobia since it would mitigate the efforts to demonise the Muslim community. It remains to be seen how much the APPG on British Muslims are prepared to concede.