Badenoch accused of 'false parallels' between Manchester attack & Trafalgar Square event

The Housing Secretary has called on the Tory boss to apologise after she suggested there was a wider freedom of speech issue over her shadow justice secretary's comments.

Tory MP Nick Timothy faced a huge backlash after he suggested a mass Iftar event in Trafalgar Square was an "act of domination", prompting Sir Keir Starmer to call for him to be sacked.

But Ms Badenoch has defended him, and said that men and women should not be segregated in mass public events.

The Tory leader says she will set up a Culture and Integration Commission to look into issues of religion in public life.

And fresh comments made over the weekend have prompted a new backlash.

She told GB News: "My issue at the moment is that Labour MPs are trying to shut Nick Timothy down, get him sacked for saying, 'I don't like this. I don't think this is right. This is not the proper way to go about things'.

"It is this silencing that causes the real problem... a Manchester arena security guard doesn't say anything because he thinks, 'oh, well, we're not allowed to say anything'. Same thing with the grooming gang scandal.

"People see what happens to MPs like Nick Timothy and think, 'oh, well, we're probably not allowed to raise concerns'.

"We need to be able to raise concerns.

"We believe in freedom of religion in this country, but that doesn't mean that every cultural practise associated, associated with the religion should be acceptable."

Reform have called for mass religious events in public spaces to be banned.

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This morning, Labour have hit out at her comments.

Steve Reed, Labour's Housing and Communities Secretary, told LBC: "For Kemi Badenoch to defend Nick Timothy's abhorrent comments by drawing false parallels with the murderous Manchester Arena attacks is a new low.

"The majority of Brits - including most Conservatives - will be disgusted by her comments. Kemi Badenoch should apologise.

"The Tories are aping Tommy Robinson’s extremist hatred over Muslims peacefully praying in Trafalgar Square as many other faiths have done.

"Kemi Badenoch is dragging her party further and further into the gutter. She has no shame."

A Conservative Party aide told LBC in response: “Labour are trying to distract from Kemi’s brilliant new policy to save people £200 on their energy bills and Labour’s ridiculous decision not to drill our own oil and gas in an energy crisis.

"Steve Reed should stop getting upset about everything and sort his miserable failure on housing."

22 people were tragically killed, and many more injured, in a terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.

The attacker, Salman Abedi, had fought for Islamic Groups in Libia, and had links to ISIS.

During the public inquiry, a security guard, Kyle Lawler, said he had a "bad feeling" about him - but did not approach him for fear of being branded a racist.

He said: "It's very difficult to define a terrorist. For all I knew he might well be an innocent Asian male.

"I did not want people to think I am stereotyping him because of his race.

"I was scared of being wrong and being branded a racist if I got it wrong and would have got into trouble. It made me hesitant.

"I wanted to get it right and not mess it up by over-reacting or judging someone by their race."