A key ally of Sir Keir Starmer has challenged Kemi Badenoch to say whether she would object to Jewish prayer in public after a Tory frontbencher sparked an extraordinary row.
Ms Badenoch has faced calls to sack shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy over his comments describing mass Muslim public prayer as an “act of domination and division”.
Mr Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, made the remarks on X, formerly Twitter, following a Muslim prayer event in Trafalgar Square, in which he also said such rituals were “not welcome in our public places and shared institutions”.
Sir Keir has condemned the comments as “utterly appalling” and accused the Conservative Party of having a “problem with Muslims”.
But Ms Badenoch stood by Mr Timothy, saying he was "defending British values".
Now Richard Hermer, the attorney general, has challenged her, saying: “Nick Timothy has said that mass prayer in public places is an act of ‘domination’. But when he and Kemi Badenoch were questioned about his appalling views, they seemed to only have an issue with Muslim events.
“Timothy and Badenoch’s comments beg the question – would they have a problem if I as a Jewish man, were praying in public? Or is it just Muslim prayer they find offensive, and contrary to ‘British values’?
“The Conservative Party, like Reform and Tommy Robinson, is seeking to divide Britain. Instead, they should be celebrating our brilliantly welcoming and diverse country.”
The Labour London mayor, Sadiq Khan, was among those who attended Monday’s event, Open Iftar, which has taken place in Trafalgar Square for a number of years.
In an article for The Telegraph newspaper, Mr Timothy said the Trafalgar Square event should be banned, writing: “A memorial to national independence, Trafalgar Square belongs to us all. To use it as a stage for this act of domination and division is completely wrong, and it should never be allowed to happen again.”
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has called the event an “attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life”.
A Labour source said: “The Tories are sinking to new depths by copying the rhetoric of Reform and Tommy Robinson, and making Muslim communities in this country feel unwelcome. The majority of Brits – including many Conservative voters – will be appalled by their comments.”
“If Kemi Badenoch had a backbone, she would condemn Timothy’s despicable comments. Instead, she is doing what she did with Robert Jenrick, ignoring his extreme rhetoric because she’s too weak to do anything else.”
No 10 said the PM does not agree with calls to ban open air prayer : “No, absolutely not.... The prime minister is clear that freedom of religion and the right to peaceful expression are core British values and should be respected whether it's peaceful prayer, protest or assembly.”
When approached for comment, the Conservative Party pointed to remarks by Ms Badenoch that she was “uncomfortable with seeing women pushed to the back in the middle of Trafalgar Square in an event which is exclusionary”.
Photographs posted by the events organisers appeared to show women and men pictured together, apart from during prayer. In some Jewish congregations men and women are also separated during prayer.
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