The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has launched the below list of pledges for candidates running in the upcoming local elections in England, to be held on Thursday, 4th May.
The five pledges aim to promote a diverse and inclusive society, tackle Islamophobia, address the cost-of-living crisis, challenge inequalities in health, housing, and employment, and invest in young people.
The MCB is urging all candidates to consider endorsing these pledges ahead of engaging Muslim voters locally. Candidates interested in endorsing these pledges can do so using the form located at the bottom of this page.
See MCB’s Local Election 2023 Pledge Summary below. Click to view a PDF version here.
The MCB’s LE2023 election pledges are detailed in full below.
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Championing integrity, civil and human rights in politics
a. Reject dog-whistle rhetoric and divisive language that seeks to scapegoat marginalised communities.
b. Call upon the Government to uphold our international commitments, particularly to the 1951 Refugee Convention and advocate for the protection of refugee and asylum seeker rights enshrined in international law.
c. Support our Human Rights Act to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and equally under the law.
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Tackling Islamophobia
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that 22% of people had negative feelings towards Muslims, and 70% of Muslims reported experiencing religion-based prejudice in 2018. Candidates should recognise the existence of Islamophobia, its manifestations, and its damaging impact on communities, and:
a. Advocate for the adoption of the APPG on British Muslims definition of Islamophobia in your region or area.
b. Commit to proactively engaging with a broad spectrum of British Muslim stakeholders, ensuring a plurality of views are being considered on key issues impacting British Muslim communities.
c. Defend the right of Muslims – and people of all faiths – to express and practice their faith freely.
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Tackling the cost-of-living crisis
Census 2021 data showed that 61% of Muslims in England and Wales live in the lowest 40% of areas in the country ranked by deprivation score. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis disproportionately impacts already disadvantaged communities. We call on candidates to:
a. Support existing initiatives to address food insecurity and poverty such as community kitchens and food banks.
b. Work with partners and the Government to establish local and regional authority-led initiatives such as food crisis funds and emergency cost of living grant schemes for vulnerable households.
d. Advocate for free school meals to be made available to all children living in poverty in England.
f. Address the rising cost of fuel and energy; advocate for the lowering of the energy price cap
g. Advocate for improved Universal Credit provision so it is enough to cover the high cost of essentials such as food and energy
h. Recognise the important role that mosques play in serving local communities, include them in local stakeholder outreach and support their services.
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Tackling inequalities: health, housing, and employment
Candidates should recognise and understand the systemic and institutional challenges that British Muslim communities face, how the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing cost-of-living crisis have compounded them, and commit to addressing inequalities in health, housing and employment through:
a. Working alongside employers in your region and area to protect the health and wellbeing of key workers.
b. Promoting better awareness of, and access to, local health services, particularly for members of minority communities.
c. Working to address decreasing council housing stock and new builds falling short of assisted housing needs.
d. Advocating for improved regulation of the private housing sector.
e. Understanding and addressing the reasons for pay disparities – on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, or religion – among employers in your region or area.
f. Commitment to tackling the ‘triple penalty’ Muslim women face in employment – on the grounds of being a woman, from an ethnic minority background, and being Muslim.
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Investing in young people
The 2021 Census found that British Muslims had the youngest age profile of all religious groups, with 48% of Muslims aged 24 or younger compared to 31% of the overall population, and that 21% of young British Muslims were educated to degree level, in comparison to 19% of the overall population. Additionally, 6.7% of Muslims were unemployed compared to 4.4% in the overall population. British Muslims are increasingly younger, more qualified and lacking in adequate access and opportunity in the labour market. Candidates should commit to investing in the future of young people, their wellbeing and employment prospects by:
a. Committing to the delivery of effective careers advice and mentorship schemes to improve the employment prospects of young Muslims in your region or area.
b. Encourage public and private sector employers in your region or area to improve outreach and engagement of young British Muslims entering the workforce.
c. Champion diversity and inclusion schemes in your local region or area, improving retention of increasingly qualified British Muslim professionals.
d. Encourage public and private sector employers in your region or area to adopt the living wage.
Candidates interested in endorsing MCB’s local election 2023 pledges, please do so using the form below.
Kindly include your party name in ‘Organisational name’ and state your desire to endorse MCB’s local election pledges in support of Muslim communities, alongside the position you are running for in ‘Your message’.