Senior Labour MP meets Muslim Council of Britain despite 'disengagement' policy Submitted by Imran Mulla on Wed, 01/07/2026 - 10:56 The meeting is a significant development for the organisation, which the Labour government has refused to engage with Emily Thornberry is the chair of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Select Committee (Wikimedia Commons) Off A senior Labour MP has held a rare meeting with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), an organisation the government has previously repeatedly refused to engage with. The MCB, the largest umbrella body representing British Muslim organisations, said in a post on X that Lotifa Begum, its public affairs manager, met MP Emily Thornberry on Wednesday. Thornberry is the chair of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Select Committee, which scrutinises the government's foreign policy. She has publicly backed a ban on the import of goods from Israel's illegal settlements in occupied Palestine, and urged the government to recognise a Palestinian state months before it did so in September last year. The MCB said Wednesday's meeting addressed Palestine, humanitarian needs and "the UK's responsibility in maintaining international human rights". The meeting is a significant development for the organisation, which has over 500 affiliates - including mosques, schools, local and county councils, professional networks and advocacy groups. The Labour government has maintained a policy of not engaging with the MCB, following the policy of the previous Conservative government. Middle East Eye revealed in July 2024 that the government had not been responding to communications from the MCB throughout the far-right riots which swept the country that summer. @LotifaBegum , our Public Affairs Manager, had a meeting today with @EmilyThornberry MP (Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee) to address the ongoing genocide in #Palestine , the pressing #humanitarian needs, and the UK's responsibility in maintaining international human rights. pic.twitter.com/vE4XUp3OZx — Muslim Council of Britain (@MuslimCouncil) January 7, 2026 After the riots more than 80 Muslim organisations issued a joint declaration calling on the government to engage with “democratically elected” Muslim representatives, “particularly the Muslim Council of Britain”. The policy of disengagement has since continued. When cabinet minister Sir Stephen Timms broke the policy by attending an MCB annual leadership dinner in January 2025, he was "spoken to" by Labour's leadership and reminded of "his duty to uphold collective responsibility". Exclusive: UK government ignored Muslim Council of Britain during far-right riots Read More » MEE revealed last July that the government blocked a working group it set up to advise on a possible definition of Islamophobia from consulting the MCB. Successive governments have mostly refused to engage with the MCB since 2009 when the then-Labour government suspended ties after the organisation's deputy secretary general signed a declaration in support of Palestinians' right of resistance following Israel's three-week war in Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead, between December 2008 and January 2009. Labour restored ties before its defeat in the 2010 general election, and MCB officials held a number of meetings with Liberal Democrat ministers during the Conservative-led coalition government that followed until 2015. But Conservative Party ministers refused to meet MCB officials between 2010 and 2024, and the Starmer government - elected in July 2024 - has continued with the policy. MEE has contacted Thornberry for comment. UK Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0