A new bill introduced in the House of Commons seeks to amend the application of the Public Order Act 1986, aiming to prevent its use as a de facto blasphemy law concerning Islam. Conservative MP Nick Timothy presented the legislation under the ten-minute rule motion, arguing that current policing and prosecution practices have effectively reinstated blasphemy laws in England and Wales, decades after they were formally abolished.
Mr. Timothy stated that he does not believe Muhammad was a prophet and does not accept the moral codes set out by Islam, clarifying that he is a Christian who believes nobody should be prosecuted for criticizing or mocking religious figures, including Jesus. He noted that England and Wales abolished blasphemy laws in 2008, and Scotland followed in 2021, with the last blasphemy trial occurring in 1977 and no public prosecution for blasphemy brought by the state in over a century.
The MP argued that sections four and five of the Public Order Act 1986 are now being used far beyond the original intent of Parliament to police speech about Islam. He described this as the essence of a two-tier policing approach, where certain groups face rough justice while others, willing to threaten violence, receive freedom from prosecution. Mr. Timothy asserted that a person can be found guilty under the Act due to the violent reaction of those offended by their actions.
Mr. Timothy referenced the cases of Sir Salman Rashdi and a teacher still in hiding with his family as examples of the threat of violence that he said lies behind these new blasphemy laws. He noted that there are at least 14 Muslim-majority countries where the penalty for blasphemy or apostasy is death, and that the United Kingdom has significant diaspora populations from many of those countries. He stated that with the number of people who came from those countries growing and the increasing assertiveness of organized political Islam in Britain, the problem appears likely to become more severe.
The bill, as introduced by Mr. Timothy, would restore free speech as it applies to religion in England and Wales. It would stop police, prosecutors, and judges from creating a blasphemy law from legislation that was never passed for that purpose. Mr. Timothy said the bill would send a message that the country will not tolerate intimidation, violence, or censorship, and that there will be no special treatment for Islam. The motion for leave to bring in the bill was approved, with the Speaker confirming the eyes have it.
The following members were named as sponsors of the bill: John Cooper, Luke Evans, Richard Holden, Robert Genrich, Rert Lowe, Rebecca Paul, Jack Ranken, Alex Shelbrook, Bradley Thomas, Tom Tugenhard, Gavin Williamson, and Mr. Timothy himself.
Reform Strikes Back at MP Who Blamed White Men for Grooming Gangs
A political dispute has erupted in the United Kingdom over the ethnic breakdown of perpetrators in child sexual abuse cases, following the release of data by the House of Commons Library. The exchange took place during a parliamentary session, with Reform party figures pushing back against a Member of Parliament who they claimed was blaming white men for grooming gangs. The debate centers on official statistics regarding the ethnicity of individuals who have faced legal proceedings for such offenses.
According to the data cited during the debate, figures compiled by the House of Commons Library from 2021 to 2025 show that the single largest ethnic group of perpetrators in child sexual abuse cases in the United Kingdom were white British men. The data indicated that white British men accounted for 58.35% of all instances. A speaker in the chamber confirmed having the figures, stating that in the last five years, 989 individuals of Asian background had faced proceedings, representing 8% of offenders. This figure was compared to 12,157 individuals of white British origin who had faced proceedings during the same period.
The discussion escalated when Lee Anderson intervened. Anderson thanked the female speaker for yielding, noting that she had presented several pieces of interesting data. He then asked if she had any data on how many white British working-class girls had been systematically raped. The speaker responded that she did not have that information, clarifying that her focus had been specifically on the ethnicity of offenders, which was the subject of the original data.
The speaker later referenced the Member for Great Yarmouth, who had originally presented a petition on the matter. She acknowledged that her honorable friend had presented the petition earlier in the day on behalf of the Member for Great Yarmouth. She described the petition as a very good thing, stating that anything that brings information into the public domain is positive. She concluded by saluting the Member for Great Yarmouth for his actions, citing the issue as one she feels terribly strongly about.
The data from the House of Commons Library has become a central point of contention, with Reform representatives firing back at the MP who they perceived as blaming white men for the grooming gangs scandal. The exact nature of the MP’s original statement that prompted this response was not detailed in the source material. The source material does not specify the name of the MP who was accused of blaming white men, nor does it provide the precise wording of that individual’s remarks.
The figures presented in the chamber, specifically the comparison between the 989 Asian background offenders and the 12,157 white British origin offenders, have become a key point of debate. The source material does not provide further context on the total number of offenders or the methodology used by the House of Commons Library to compile the data. The outcome of the parliamentary exchange or any subsequent actions resulting from the petition remains unknown based on the information provided.
A new bill introduced in the House of Commons seeks to amend the application of the Public Order Act 1986, aiming to prevent its use as a de facto blasphemy law concerning Islam. Conservative MP Nick Timothy presented the legislation under the ten-minute rule motion, arguing that current policing and prosecution practices have effectively reinstated blasphemy laws in England and Wales, decades after they were formally abolished.
Mr. Timothy stated that he does not believe Muhammad was a prophet and does not accept the moral codes set out by Islam, clarifying that he is a Christian who believes nobody should be prosecuted for criticizing or mocking religious figures, including Jesus. He noted that England and Wales abolished blasphemy laws in 2008, and Scotland followed in 2021, with the last blasphemy trial occurring in 1977 and no public prosecution for blasphemy brought by the state in over a century.
The MP argued that sections four and five of the Public Order Act 1986 are now being used far beyond the original intent of Parliament to police speech about Islam. He described this as the essence of a two-tier policing approach, where certain groups face rough justice while others, willing to threaten violence, receive freedom from prosecution. Mr. Timothy asserted that a person can be found guilty under the Act due to the violent reaction of those offended by their actions.
Mr. Timothy referenced the cases of Sir Salman Rashdi and a teacher still in hiding with his family as examples of the threat of violence that he said lies behind these new blasphemy laws. He noted that there are at least 14 Muslim-majority countries where the penalty for blasphemy or apostasy is death, and that the United Kingdom has significant diaspora populations from many of those countries. He stated that with the number of people who came from those countries growing and the increasing assertiveness of organized political Islam in Britain, the problem appears likely to become more severe.
The bill, as introduced by Mr. Timothy, would restore free speech as it applies to religion in England and Wales. It would stop police, prosecutors, and judges from creating a blasphemy law from legislation that was never passed for that purpose. Mr. Timothy said the bill would send a message that the country will not tolerate intimidation, violence, or censorship, and that there will be no special treatment for Islam. The motion for leave to bring in the bill was approved, with the Speaker confirming the eyes have it.
The following members were named as sponsors of the bill: John Cooper, Luke Evans, Richard Holden, Robert Genrich, Rert Lowe, Rebecca Paul, Jack Ranken, Alex Shelbrook, Bradley Thomas, Tom Tugenhard, Gavin Williamson, and Mr. Timothy himself.
Reform Strikes Back at MP Who Blamed White Men for Grooming Gangs
A political dispute has erupted in the United Kingdom over the ethnic breakdown of perpetrators in child sexual abuse cases, following the release of data by the House of Commons Library. The exchange took place during a parliamentary session, with Reform party figures pushing back against a Member of Parliament who they claimed was blaming white men for grooming gangs. The debate centers on official statistics regarding the ethnicity of individuals who have faced legal proceedings for such offenses.
According to the data cited during the debate, figures compiled by the House of Commons Library from 2021 to 2025 show that the single largest ethnic group of perpetrators in child sexual abuse cases in the United Kingdom were white British men. The data indicated that white British men accounted for 58.35% of all instances. A speaker in the chamber confirmed having the figures, stating that in the last five years, 989 individuals of Asian background had faced proceedings, representing 8% of offenders. This figure was compared to 12,157 individuals of white British origin who had faced proceedings during the same period.
The discussion escalated when Lee Anderson intervened. Anderson thanked the female speaker for yielding, noting that she had presented several pieces of interesting data. He then asked if she had any data on how many white British working-class girls had been systematically raped. The speaker responded that she did not have that information, clarifying that her focus had been specifically on the ethnicity of offenders, which was the subject of the original data.
The speaker later referenced the Member for Great Yarmouth, who had originally presented a petition on the matter. She acknowledged that her honorable friend had presented the petition earlier in the day on behalf of the Member for Great Yarmouth. She described the petition as a very good thing, stating that anything that brings information into the public domain is positive. She concluded by saluting the Member for Great Yarmouth for his actions, citing the issue as one she feels terribly strongly about.
The data from the House of Commons Library has become a central point of contention, with Reform representatives firing back at the MP who they perceived as blaming white men for the grooming gangs scandal. The exact nature of the MP’s original statement that prompted this response was not detailed in the source material. The source material does not specify the name of the MP who was accused of blaming white men, nor does it provide the precise wording of that individual’s remarks.
The figures presented in the chamber, specifically the comparison between the 989 Asian background offenders and the 12,157 white British origin offenders, have become a key point of debate. The source material does not provide further context on the total number of offenders or the methodology used by the House of Commons Library to compile the data. The outcome of the parliamentary exchange or any subsequent actions resulting from the petition remains unknown based on the information provided.