Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to safeguard freedom of religion and belief in the context of new or updated hate crime and anti-discrimination definitions.

Freedom of religion and belief is a fundamental human right. People are expected to express their views concerning religion and beliefs respectfully, acting within the confines of the law when providing criticism. This government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion and we will not tolerate religious hatred in any form.

Our approach to tackling religious hatred does not and would never inhibit free speech or override fundamental rights such as the right to freedom of religion and belief. Any definition of religious hatred that the Government has adopted or may choose to adopt would be non-statutory.