Labour cuts links with ‘extremist’ Muslim group
Party says it has a policy of non-engagement with organisation despite MPS attending several events
LABOUR has cut ties with a Muslim organisation which is to be investigated for extremism by the Government.
The party has adopted a policy “to not engage” with Mend (Muslim Engagement and Development) despite Labour MPS having previously attended events the group has organised.
But Mend has warned the stance will risk Labour alienating Muslim voters.
Researchers into extremism have identified at least six Labour politicians who have attended Mend events.
It is one of three groups that Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, described last month as giving “rise to concern because of their Islamist orientation and views”. He said they would all be investigated for extremism.
Richard Burgon, Labour’s Leeds East MP praised Mend’s work as “vital” in holding people to account for Islamophobia. And he said it was “wonderful” the way the group offered people a way to make complaints about the coverage of the Muslim community by the BBC and other media organisations.
Barry Sheerman, Labour MP for Huddersfield, admitted he had attended a Mend event but was “disturbed” to subsequently discover it allegedly hosted people with “deeply objectionable” views. He said he had not since had any engagement with the group.
Told of the non-engagement policy, Mend said it was “unaware” of any such official Labour position, but warned such a move would “harm the Labour Party which is already haemorrhaging the Muslim vote”.
Mr Gove used the protection of Parliamentary privilege to name the three groups when he announced a new definition of extremism, which will be used to identify organisations which will be barred from contact with the Government or its agencies.
The other two were the Muslim Association of Britain and Cage, which was formed to campaign on the plight of Guantanamo Bay detainees. A full list of the bodies is to be published within weeks by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
A Labour source said: “The party’s policy is to not engage with Mend.
“The Government has not proscribed or classified this group as extremist.
“It has only thus far suggested – under parliamentary privilege – that DLUHC may consider them under the new guidance announced.”
The source said the policy had been in place since Sir Keir Starmer took over as leader from Jeremy Corbyn in April 2020.
However, Mr Burgon, who was sacked as shadow justice secretary by Sir Keir in April 2020, was filmed at a meeting at Leeds Grand Mosque run by Mend in December 2021. Mr Burgon has been contacted for comment.
Mr Sheerman, a former shadow minister, said he had agreed to an interview with Mend in December 2020 about Islamophobia, but added: “Following the interview, concerns were raised to me about Mend, and I was disturbed to learn that there were allegations that it had hosted people with deeply objectionable views.
“Since learning of these allegations I have not had any further engagement with the group. I have never had any association with the group or its views.”
Other MPS who have spoken at Mend events include Labour’s Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West and Alison Thewliss, MSP for Glasgow Central.
Kaya Comer-schwartz, the Labour leader of Islington council, also attended a Mend event.
Her spokesman said Mend aimed to highlight the impact of Islamophobia on people’s lives and the event was organised by the council and community partners.
A Labour spokesman said: “Labour have long warned about the need for concerted action on Islamist and farright extremism, and ministers are right to revisit the definition.
“But the Tories are distracting from the real steps that need to be taken. The priority needs to be addressing online extremism.”
A spokesman for Mend, which has challenged Mr Gove to repeat his accusations outside Parliament, said: “We would urge Labour to both reject the definition and the process proposed to apply it in practice, given that it is a blatant attack on free speech and seeks to delegitimise lawful dissent, both cornerstones of a healthy democracy.”
‘I was disturbed to learn of claims the group had hosted people with deeply objectionable views’