South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes on Sharia Courts and Activist Judges

For too long, Britain has indulged the dangerous misapprehension that we can thrive as a menagerie of competing cultures, each clinging to its imported customs and creeds. What was once sold to us as progressive multiculturalism has corroded the ties that bind us, stymieing integration and fostering alienation. The consequent disintegration of the common life that once made Britain a beacon of shared identity harrows us all.

Let’s be clear, Britain is not, and must never become, a Sharia state. Yet, by tolerating invasive systems of justice, operating in the backrooms of mosques and community halls, we have created the treacherous illusion that there can exist two laws in one land.

Reports suggest at least 85 Sharia courts and councils now operate – though in reality, given the lack of proper regulation, the accurate figure is probably much higher.

These unsanctioned bodies wield no statutory authority whatsoever, but their social power is undeniable and alarming. They preside over matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance – domains where women are typically most vulnerable. Under Sharia practice, a man may end a marriage with a declaration; a woman, by contrast, must either plead or prove cruelty before a self-appointed spiritual adjudicator.

This is not the tolerance of culture; it is the betrayal of British justice for those most in need of its protection.

Such distortions are symptoms of a broader moral sickness. In the name of diversity, we have permitted to take root habitual customs that directly contradict our national ethos. First-cousin marriage, sanctioned by Sharia, has produced scientifically predictable genetic disorders that burden families and our NHS alike. Meanwhile, schools in many areas now serve only halal meat, without consultation, and even parts of our countryside, such as hiking routes in the Peak District, now bear signposts to Mecca. This is not inclusion, but a quiet submission to cultural separatism.

The poisonous tendrils of this moral cowardice are rampant. The grooming gang scandals, about which I have often spoken out, stand as a tragic testament to what happens when those in power choose to surrender to the fear of causing offence rather than defending our own values. Young British girls were preyed upon by men of Pakistani origin, their suffering ignored, all because truth was deemed less important than confronting that uncomfortable reality.

It is time to reaffirm a simple truth; one nation must mean one law. The rule of law, equal and impartial, is the cornerstone of our civilisation. Yet that cornerstone has been chipped away not only by those who reject our norms, but by activist judges who, as Robert Jenrick MP last week revealed, blur the line between justice and ideology. When members of the bench become champions of causes fashionable amongst their class, be it open borders or cultural appeasement, they erode public confidence so dishonouring the long tradition of independent jurists who served the law, not their own convictions.

To restore unity, we must reclaim moral confidence. Social harmony necessitates participation in a shared national story, not a retreat into ghettoised isolation. Britain’s defining values; fairness, duty, decency, and the rule of law, must apply everywhere and to everyone.

For too long, we have kowtowed before the false idol multiculturalism. It is time to speak honestly in reasserting the plain truth that a nation divided by race, custom and creed will not endure peacefully. Let us declare, with quiet resolve and renewed conviction that one nation means one law for all.