More than half of Tory members in poll say Islam a threat to British way of life

‘It’s clear that Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment runs deep in the Conservative party,’ Hope Not Hate’s Nick Lowles said. Photograph: Mary Turner/Getty Images

More than half of Conservative party members believe Islam is a threat to the British way of life, according to a poll that sheds light on the hostility with which large parts of the party view the country’s second biggest religion.

The poll of 521 Conservative members by Opinium found that 58% say Islam poses a threat to this country – double the proportion of the overall population who believe the same. It found that 52% believe the increasingly prominent conspiracy theory that parts of European cities are under sharia law and are “no-go” areas for non-Muslims.