Advertisement

Two thirds of Tory members believe UK areas 'under Sharia law', as poll reveals scale of Islamophobia in party

Two thirds of Conservative Party members believe that parts of Britain “operate under Sharia law”, a new poll has shown amid a mounting Islamophobia scandal.

A YouGov poll found that almost half of Tories believed in the myth of no-go zones where “non-Muslims are not able to enter” and 39 per cent thought Islamist terror attacks “reflected widespread hostility to Britain among the Muslim community”.

Counter-extremism group Hope Not Hate called on leadership candidates Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt to address the “Islamophobia crisis” in their party.

“From the grassroots to the great offices of state, Conservative members buy into racist myths, with almost half unwilling to have a Muslim prime minister – and only 8 per cent being proud to have one – and most denying that there’s even an issue to confront,” said campaigns director Matthew McGregor.

Shortly after Sajid Javid was knocked out of the contest, 43 per cent of members agreed with the statement that: “I would prefer to not have the country led by a Muslim.”

The polling suggested that Tories are more opposed to Muslim immigration than that from other faiths, with 40 per cent wanting the number of Muslims entering Britain lowered.

Under one in 10 members thought Islamophobia was an issue in the party, while almost 80 per cent denied there was a problem.