LONDON: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged an additional £10 million in security funding to protect Muslim communities from hate crimes and attacks after increase in attacks on Muslims and mosques across the UK.
The UK PM announced the funding boost following a visit to the Peacehaven Mosque in East Sussex which was targeted in a suspected arson attack earlier this month.
No one was injured in the fire which damaged the front entrance of the mosque and a car, while the police said they are treating the incident as a hate crime. Two people have been arrested but not charged.
The new investment for mosques and Muslim faith centres will provide security measures including CCTV, alarm systems, secure fencing and security staff, the Government said.
Keir said: “Britain is a proud and tolerant country. Attacks on any community are attacks on our entire nation and our values. This funding will provide Muslim communities with the protection they need and deserve, allowing them to live in peace and safety. I want a Britain built for all and my government is committed to delivering safer streets for everyone – and that means protecting places of worship from those who seek to divide us through hate and violence.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “The attack on the Peacehaven Mosque was an appalling crime, that could easily have led to an even more devastating outcome.
“I am proud of this country because of the rights we all have to follow the faith of our choosing, and to live free from hatred and fear. That right must be defended. Violence and intimidation directed at any community or faith are attacks on us all. We must stand together against those who seek to divide us.”
During the visit, relatives of a member of the mosque who fled from inside when the door was torched told the Prime Minister he has become withdrawn after the incident.
“He’s very traumatised,” one family member told Sir Keir.
“This (mosque) was his life.”
“We shouldn’t need to have security in places of worship, and it’s sad that we do,” the Prime Minister told members of the community. “That (funding) just reflects the responsibility on me, or my Home Secretary and your MP, to do everything we can tackle hate crime, but also to express our support and solidarity.”
The additional £10 million will boost the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme which protects Muslim community centres and faith schools that have either experienced or are vulnerable to hate crime and builds on the £29.4 million already available this year, the Government said.
According to the government, the most recent hate crime statistics show that anti-Muslim hate crimes rose by 19% in the year ending March 2025, while 44% of all religious hate crimes targeted Muslims.
The chief executive of the British Muslim Trust, Akeela Ahmed welcomed the announcement, saying that everyone “deserves to live their life peacefully” and “without the threat of fear”.
She added: “Sadly, this is not the case for too many members of our Muslim communities. They have become fearful and apprehensive as their Mosques, places dedicated to faith, love and peace, have been vandalised, set on fire and worshippers abused and assaulted. We welcome the announcement of this funding which will play a key role in helping members of Britain’s Muslim communities feel the safety and reassurance they need and deserve.”