Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick has been reported to have called for the “Islamification” of Britain.
Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick has been reported to the Metropolitan Police and referred to the government’s counter-extremism programme Prevent over remarks about Islam and the “Islamification” of Britain.
The complaints follow his appearance on Dan Wootton’s Outspoken programme on 6 October 2026. Jenrick was asked whether he agreed with a post by US President Donald Trump stating that “this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great country.” He replied that he did. According to accounts of the interview published by 5Pillars and GB News, he continued: “Look, mass migration, the disastrous pursuit of multiculturalism and a willingness to tolerate radical Islam is destroying Europe.” He added that radical Islam “is a threat to everything that we hold dear in this country. That it has to be fought and destroyed. It has to be eradicated from our country. And that we can’t allow the creeping Islamification of the United Kingdom.” He then said: “The Islamification of this country is one perhaps the greatest threat to our way of life right now.”
He also called for the burqa, Sharia courts and hate preachers to be ended “as quickly as possible,” arguing this offered a chance of avoiding the path he said France had taken. Separately, he referred to “millions and millions of people who have a British passport in their bedroom drawer, but who are not culturally British by my standards, are not culturally English either, and are not ethnically English as well.” Jenrick later posted a clip with the caption: “The Islamification of our country is one of the greatest threats to our way of life.”
The complaints
5Pillars, which says it has seen the submissions, reports that a third-party complainant filed them on 7 October. The police report, passed to the Metropolitan Police, asked officers to assess whether the remarks could fall under Part 3A of the Public Order Act 1986, which concerns stirring up religious hatred. The complainant highlighted Jenrick’s agreement with a statement attributing a desire to “take over” the country to Islam rather than solely to extremists, combined with his description of Islamification as a threat to the national way of life. It requested early advice from the Crown Prosecution Service if the threshold appeared met, and, if no offence was disclosed, that the matter be recorded as a religion or faith hate incident.
A separate referral to Prevent asked the programme to consider whether the overall “framing and combination” of the comments fell within its definition of extreme right-wing ideology. The submission explicitly stated it was not alleging that Jenrick had committed or endorsed violence or an offence. It acknowledged that proposals such as banning face coverings or Sharia courts amounted to lawful political advocacy. Its concern was the presentation of “Muslim and migrant presence, together with changing ethnic composition, as an existential threat,” which it described as characteristic of “Great Replacement” narratives. It asked Prevent to assess whether the framing fell into that category, while stating: “We do not assert that it does.” It also suggested Jenrick’s prominence as an elected politician and the platform used were relevant factors.
There has been no finding by police or Prevent that any offence has been committed or that the remarks meet an extremism definition. The submissions are requests for assessment. The complaints also referenced earlier remarks by Jenrick, including his 2024 comment that it was “quite wrong” someone could shout “Allahu Akbar” on London streets and not be immediately arrested (he later clarified the phrase is used peacefully by millions of British Muslims, while arguing aggressive chanting in a protest context could be threatening under public-order law), and his observation that he “didn’t see another white face” during a visit to Handsworth in Birmingham.
Reactions and context
The Free Speech Union condemned the reports. It said it had warned that official definitions around anti-Muslim hostility risked chilling legitimate criticism of Islam, its history or practices, and that “yet here we are.” It argued it is not extremist to criticise Islam, noted that blasphemy laws were abolished in 2008, and accused activists of seeking to impose a de facto blasphemy standard for Islam while weaponising Prevent. The group said it stands with Jenrick’s right to speak freely as both a private citizen and an elected politician. It also noted prior reports involving others, including John Cleese to Prevent over comments criticising Islam.
Jenrick, 44, is MP for Newark and Reform UK’s shadow chancellor. He entered Parliament as a Conservative in the 2014 Newark by-election, served as housing secretary and immigration minister, resigned from the latter post in December 2023 arguing the Rwanda legislation did not go far enough, and defected to Reform in January 2026 after an unsuccessful Conservative leadership bid. He has repeatedly distinguished criticism of “radical Islam” or Islamism from hostility to Muslims as such, and has long argued that Islamist extremism constitutes the larger share of the terrorism threat while Prevent referrals have not reflected that proportion. He has also criticised what he describes as police reluctance to confront Islamist influence on streets and public order, citing examples including protests since October 2023 and the West Midlands Police handling of Israeli football fans.
UK law sets a high bar for the offence of stirring up religious hatred: words must be threatening (or, in some formulations, abusive or insulting) and intended to stir up hatred. Political debate on immigration, integration, religious practices and extremism is routinely conducted without prosecution. Prevent is a safeguarding programme aimed at people at risk of radicalisation; referrals of senior politicians for mainstream political speech remain rare and contested. No public response from Jenrick to these specific complaints has been reported.
