UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday pledged an additional £10 million in security funding to protect Muslim communities from hate crimes and attacks.The pledge follows a suspected arson at a Peacehaven mosque earlier this month. The announcement came during a visit to the mosque in East Sussex, where the Prime Minister met members of the community and saw the damage caused by the attack.
How will the funding help?
The new funding will provide mosques and Muslim faith centres with security measures, including CCTV, alarms, secure fencing, and security staff, the government said, according to the BBC. Starmer said the measures would allow communities to live safely, adding: “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.”The £10 million boost expands the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, which protects Muslim community centres and faith schools that have experienced or are vulnerable to hate crime. It builds on £29.4 million already available this year. Government statistics show anti-Muslim hate crimes rose by 19 percent in the year ending March 2025, with 44 percent of all religious hate crimes targeting Muslims.
The Peacehaven attack
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the Peacehaven attack as “an appalling crime that could easily have led to an even more devastating outcome.” She added: “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.”Three men, aged 34, 38, and 42, were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the fire, Sussex Police confirmed. No one was injured. The Prime Minister said: “We shouldn’t need to have security in places of worship, and it’s sad that we do. That 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 backlash
While the move has been praised by Muslim organisations, critics on social media have called Starmer a “traitor,” arguing the funding prioritises one group amid rising concerns over extremism, grooming gangs, and the policing of protests. They warn that focusing solely on the effects of hate, rather than addressing the root causes, could weaken national unity.
