Bridget Phillipson has accused senior Reform and Conservative politicians of making racist statements as she warns racism and sexism are “becoming normal” in the UK.
The equalities minister said Conservative shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy and Reform UK’s Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick have made racist statements in recent years, and rejected criticism she was “calling them names”.
Mr Timothy faced a backlash earlier this year after describing prayer at a public Iftar event in Trafalgar Square as an “act of domination and division” in a post on X. He denied his comments are racist.
Meanwhile, Mr Jenrick complained that he “didn’t see another white face” during a visit to an area of Birmingham in October last year.
Speaking to the Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast, the cabinet minister said: “We’ve had pretty despicable things that the likes of Robert Jenrick have said in the past on his visit to Birmingham.
“We had Nick Timothy, who said some appalling things about Muslim prayer. Apparently I’m calling him names when I say that’s racist.
“I think it is fundamentally racist because I don’t think he would say that about any other group.”
The former education secretary also said she worries for the world that girls are growing up into, and for young men who are encouraged to think their problems are “somehow down to women”.
Ms Phillipson also criticised the police for “some pretty shocking failings” in terms of violence against women and girls, and a lack of progress in how they respond to it.
“I’m profoundly worried about what we’re seeing in terms of misogyny across society,” she said.
“I worry about our daughters. I worry about the kind of world that they’re growing up into.
But also worry about our sons and what they’re being exposed to, especially online and the extent to which we have this whole industry that’s been built up on exploiting grievance and encouraging young men to think that the problems they’re experiencing are, or the ills that we see in the world are somehow down to women.
“And I think, in terms of attitudes again, I worry that we are at kind of a ground zero really in terms of attitudes around violence against women and girls.
“Things that not very long ago felt totally unacceptable are becoming normal. And I think we’re seeing that in terms of attitudes towards women, and I think we see that in terms of attitudes around racism.
“And what unites them is a desire to take our country backwards.”
Ms Phillipson clashed with Kemi Badenoch in the chamber earlier this year, after the Tory leader accused her of being a “spiteful class warrior”.
Speaking about the row, Ms Phillipson said: “When she had her say, I just kind of said that people would find her out for who she really was.”
She added: “I’m from an ordinary working-class family in the north-east. They don’t like people like me making the argument for what I believe. For some of them, I guess they think I should just get back in my box.”
The Independent has contacted Mr Jenrick and Mr Timothy for comment.
