Burnham promises to appoint adviser to combat anti-Muslim hostility — The National

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that the government will soon appoint an adviser to combat hostility and hatred towards Muslims. He said this after a meeting with representatives of British Muslim communities at Downing Street, which was also attended by Communities Secretary Angela Rayner.

Adviser on Muslim communities

Burnham acknowledged that the country’s Muslim communities have experienced some of the worst manifestations of division, including online hatred. According to him, the government will soon appoint an adviser on Muslim communities to prevent another decade of division.

As The National reports, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer first promised to appoint a special representative on Muslim communities in March. Their duties are expected to include supporting measures against hostility and hatred towards Muslims and people perceived as Muslim, as well as engaging with communities, schools and other institutions.

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Hate crime data

British Muslim Trust chief executive Aqila Ahmed called the creation of the post a positive initiative. She said that hate crimes against Muslims are increasing, while mosques are subjected to attacks or racist incidents on average once every five days.

According to the Tell Mama charity, the number of anti-Muslim incidents in London has increased sixfold over the past five years. A record 1,909 such cases were reported in the capital last year, while by the end of June 2026 there had been 1,031. The British Muslim Trust also reported that attacks on British mosques are becoming more severe, although less serious forms of harassment have declined over the past year.

Separately, Burnham said that the government would continue implementing a plan to create a memorial honouring hundreds of thousands of Muslim servicemen who died while serving in the British Indian Army during the First and Second World Wars. The project is estimated to cost nearly £1 million.