Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick has been reported to the Metropolitan Police and referred to the counter-extremism scheme Prevent over comments in which he described the “Islamification” of Britain as one of the greatest threats to the country’s way of life.
5Pillars has seen the complaints which were submitted following Jenrick’s appearance on the Dan Wootton Outspoken programme on October 6.
The complaints asked the police to assess whether his remarks could potentially fall under legislation concerning the stirring up of religious hatred, while separately asking Prevent to consider whether the overall framing of his comments falls within its definition of extreme right-wing ideology.
The police report was submitted online yesterday and passed to the Metropolitan Police. The complainant (a third-party witness) requested that the remarks be assessed under Part 3A of the Public Order Act 1986.
Jenrick has previously rejected accusations that his rhetoric is anti-Muslim, drawing a distinction between Islam as a religion and what he describes as “radical Islam” or “Islamism.”
During the Dan Wootten interview, Jenrick was asked whether he agreed with a post by US President Donald Trump stating: “This is about Islam wanting to take over a once great country.”
Jenrick replied: “Yes, I do. Look, mass migration, the disastrous pursuit of multiculturalism and a willingness to tolerate radical Islam is destroying Europe.”
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He later said: “Radical Islam is a threat to everything that we hold dear in this country. That it has to be fought and destroyed. It has to be eradicated from our country. And that we can’t allow the creeping Islamification of the United Kingdom.”
But Jenrick then dropped the qualification “radical”, saying: “The Islamification of this country is one perhaps the greatest threat to our way of life right now.”
In the police submission, the complaintant said Jenrick had agreed with a statement attributing a desire to “take over” Britain to Islam rather than specifically to extremists, before describing the “Islamification” of Britain as a threat to the national way of life.
It asked police to assess the remarks under Part 3A of the Act and seek early advice from the Crown Prosecution Service if the threshold was arguably met.
If no criminal offence is disclosed, the complainant asked for the matter to be recorded as a religion or faith hate incident.
Prevent referral
In a separate submission, the complainant asked Prevent to assess Jenrick’s wider remarks against the government’s definition of extremism.
The complaint explicitly stated that it was not alleging that Jenrick had committed or endorsed an offence or act of violence, and acknowledged that proposals such as banning face coverings or Shari’ah courts constituted lawful political advocacy.
Instead, it said its concern related to the overall “framing and combination” of Jenrick’s statements.
During the Dan Wootten interview Jenrick said: “Wearing the burka, Shari’ah courts, hate preachers. End every one of these as quickly as possible, then maybe we’ve got a fighting chance of saving our country from going down the same path as France has clearly gone down.”
The Prevent submission also highlighted comments Jenrick made about British identity and ethnicity.
He said there were “millions and millions of people who have a British passport in their bedroom drawer, but who are not culturally British by my standards, are not culturally English either, and are not ethnically English as well.”
The complainant argued that, taken together, the remarks presented “Muslim and migrant presence, together with changing ethnic composition, as an existential threat to the country.”
It said narratives structured in this way were characteristic of “Great Replacement” ideology, but stressed: “We ask Prevent to assess whether the framing falls within that category. We do not assert that it does.”
The complainant has asked Prevent to consider whether the remarks fall within its extreme right-wing ideology category and whether Jenrick’s position as a prominent politician and the platform on which the comments were made are relevant to its assessment.
Previous controversies
The police submission also cites previous controversies involving Jenrick.
In August 2024, while discussing protests on Sky News, he said: “I thought it was quite wrong that somebody could shout Allahu Akbar on the streets of London and not be immediately arrested.”
He subsequently clarified that “Allahu Akbar” was “spoken peacefully and spiritually by millions of British Muslims in their daily lives,” while arguing that the particular chanting he had been discussing was threatening.
The complaint also references remarks about Handsworth, Birmingham, in which Jenrick said that during a visit he “didn’t see another white face,” adding: “That’s not the kind of country I want to live in.”
There is currently no finding by either the police or Prevent that Jenrick has committed an offence or meets the definition of extremism. Both submissions are requests for the authorities to assess his remarks.
How Jenrick has previously defended his position
Jenrick has previously rejected accusations that his rhetoric is anti-Muslim, drawing a distinction between Islam as a religion and what he describes as “radical Islam” or Islamism.
After facing criticism in 2024 for saying someone shouting “Allahu Akbar” on the streets should be arrested, Jenrick subsequently acknowledged that the phrase is “spoken peacefully and spiritually by millions of British Muslims in their daily lives,” while arguing that extremists can use otherwise ordinary religious expressions in an intimidating context.
Jenrick has also defended proposals to ban the burqa and Shari’ah courts as measures designed to protect British values rather than attacks on Muslims.
He would therefore be likely to reject any suggestion that opposition to Islamism, mass immigration or particular Islamic practices constitutes hatred of Muslims, and argue that these are legitimate subjects of political debate.
Who is Robert Jenrick?
Robert Jenrick, 44, is the Reform UK MP for Newark and the party’s shadow chancellor, having previously served as a senior Conservative government minister.
Jenrick entered Parliament in 2014, winning the Newark by-election for the Conservatives. His political career subsequently saw him serve as a Treasury minister, Housing Secretary under Boris Johnson and Immigration Minister under Rishi Sunak.
He resigned as Immigration Minister in December 2023, arguing that the government’s proposed Rwanda deportation legislation did not go far enough.
After the Conservatives lost the 2024 general election, Jenrick unsuccessfully challenged Kemi Badenoch for the party leadership. He subsequently became Shadow Justice Secretary before defecting to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in January 2026.
Strong support for Israel
Jenrick has been an outspoken supporter of Israel, including during its military campaign in Gaza following October 7, 2023.
In December 2023, he criticised calls for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, arguing in Parliament that they would encourage Israel’s enemies.
He urged the British government to allow Israel to “finish the job,” saying the country needed to eliminate Hamas, free Israeli hostages and protect its security.
Although Jenrick acknowledged the loss of innocent civilian lives in both Israel and Gaza, he argued that Israeli security was also important to Britain’s national security.
Jenrick was associated with Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI), a parliamentary organisation promoting relations between Britain and Israel.
According to the House of Commons Register of Members’ Financial Interests, CFI paid for Jenrick to visit Israel between January 3 and 5, 2024.
During his unsuccessful Conservative leadership campaign in September 2024, Jenrick promised to move Britain’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
He also pledged to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a position at odds with Britain’s longstanding diplomatic approach to the disputed city.
Speaking at a Conservative Friends of Israel reception, he declared that if civil servants refused to implement the move, he would build the embassy himself. At the same event, Jenrick wore a hoodie bearing the words “Hamas Are Terrorists.”
He also suggested displaying the Star of David at every airport and entry point into Britain as a symbol of support for Israel, saying he wanted Britain to become the world’s most welcoming country for Israelis and the Jewish community.
Family connections to Israel
Jenrick is married to Michal Berkner, an Israeli-born, American-educated corporate lawyer who has worked for several major international law firms.
Berkner, whose family includes Holocaust survivors, has been publicly involved in supporting her husband’s political career, particularly during his Conservative leadership campaign.
The couple have three daughters, whom they are raising with Jewish traditions.
Jenrick has described himself as the father of a Jewish family and has spoken publicly about the importance of his connection to the Jewish community.
He has also said his children experience both Christian and Jewish religious traditions, attending church with him and synagogue with their mother.
