LMN Research Centre
The Labour Muslim Network research and policy center is a groundbreaking initiative that works to ensure the breadth of voices, opinions and priorities within UK Muslim communities is represented in the Labour movement.
Working with key stakeholders, charities, mosques and communities on the ground, we delve deep into the issues Muslim Labour members and supporters care about most, their views and the kind world we want to help build. By producing unique research into the views and outlooks of Muslim members and supporters on the ground, we are also able to contribute to the breadth of policy discussions taking place within the Labour Party.
To participate in future research, policy discussions and help drive our work, look below for our latest research and do not hesitate to get in touch with our team (at Outreach@LabourMuslims.org).
The Muslim Labour Representatives Report
The historic relationship between the Labour Party and British Muslim communities is well established and long standing. For generations, Muslim voters across the country have loyally supported Labour candidates, locally and nationally; and many Muslim members have served the party within local CLPs, as councillors, mayors, and members of Parliament. This relationship, forged through shared commitments to social equality and civil rights, has been one of the strongest electoral alignments in British modern political history.
However, recent years have witnessed a significant shift in the political landscape. The historic ties between Muslims and Labour is now at a breaking point. The intolerable rise in Islamophobia, anger and discontent with the leadership’s response to the genocide in Gaza, and heightened scrutiny of Muslim political expression at all levels in the party have all contributed to an unprecedented tension between Labour and Muslim communities.
The Labour Muslim Network believes that among those best placed to help the Labour Party win back the trust of Muslim communities in Britain are our Muslim public representatives.
This research and report has been initiated to gather the views and experiences of these representatives. It is the most extensive consultation of Muslim Labour representatives to date and provides unparalleled insights into the experiences, perceptions, and concerns of Muslim councillors, mayors and MP’s within the Labour party. It should be noted that Muslim’s are not one homogenous group, and opinions and experiences do vary. Where possible we have tried to best reflect this throughout this report. Ultimately, it is our hope that this report serves as a call for honest introspection and decisive action. As a political movement rooted in equality and fairness, the Labour Party must recommit to ensuring that all members—including Muslim representatives—are treated with dignity, respect, and equality at every level.
Islamophobia and the Muslim Experience: The Labour Party Report
The growing threat of Islamophobia in mainstream politics has caused significant concern in across Muslim communities in Britain. Since the 2016 EU referendum, we have seen a sharp rise in hate crime and - in particular - a rise in violent and non-violent Islamophobic attacks. Home Office figures released in October 2020 showed that the highest number of recorded hate crime offences committed in the UK were against Muslims. Of the 6,822 religious hate crimes recorded by the police in 2019/20, over 50% were targeted towards Muslims.
With this and the increasing normalisation of Islamophobia in the Conservative party, and a growing concern over its perceived penetration into the Labour Party, Muslims across the country find themselves in a precarious position.
The research commissioned and conducted by the Labour Muslim Network aimed to take an honest look at the prevalence and nature of Islamophobia in one of Britain’s largest political parties. Our goal has been to capture the experiences of Muslim members and supporters of the Labour Party, explore institutional barriers and begin to develop solutions where the party falls short in tackling this racism. The research was conducted in the spirit that we make the Labour Party a safe and open space for Muslims and all peoples who wish to fight for a fairer, more just society.