I co-chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Countering Extremism and today in Parliament we held a meeting on tackling Islamophobia. Organisations represented included Hope Not Hate, whose research shows a worrying rise in Islamophobic attitudes. Parliamentarians present included Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Afzal Khan MP and Naz Shah MP.

Southwark is a vibrant and diverse area and our Muslim friends and neighbours play an important role throughout the local community. I work closely with the council and police on local security issues and will continue to speak regularly to local mosques. Today’s meeting shows how much more we must do to combat Islamophobia in all its forms, from internet forums or comments in the street, to newspaper columnists and even racist, discriminatory, grotesque heads of state like Trump who appears to be turning his back on America’s proud past and has forgotten the US was a crucial ally in defeating Fascism and the Nazis.