Farage vows to ban Muslim prayers at historic UK sites if elected

The controversy began earlier this week when Conservative Party justice spokesperson Nick Timothy described a Muslim public prayer in Trafalgar Square as an “act of domination and division.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Timothy to be dismissed over the remarks.

Farage, a veteran campaigner for Brexit and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, said such events in London are provocative.

“We have to get this right. We cannot stop individuals praying, and we don’t want to stop individuals praying, but mass prayer is banned—mass Muslim prayer is banned in many Muslim countries in the Middle East,” Farage said during the launch of his party’s manifesto in Scotland. “We have to stop this kind of mass demonstration. This provocative demonstration in historic sites—because that is what it is.”

Polling suggests strong support for Reform U.K., which has existed in its current form for five years, giving Farage confidence that his party could win power in the next general election, scheduled by 2029.

According to Reuters Farage argued that while Britain has a long history of religious tolerance, the London event was “not the private observance of a different religion, but the attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a Muslim, attended the peaceful Monday event organized by the charity Ramadan Tent Project. Hundreds of participants, including Khan, were pictured praying at sunset before iftar, the daily Ramadan fast-breaking meal.

When asked if he also planned to ban Catholic or Jewish mass religious events, Farage replied, “I have never seen Jewish services taking place in places of historic Christian worship or anywhere else.”

Starmer countered that Christian, Jewish, and Hindu gatherings also take place in Trafalgar Square, highlighting Britain’s religious diversity.