A tick-box approach to the Singh report’s recommendations won’t be enough. A fundamental culture change is needed
The Singh investigation into racism in the Conservative party provides a historic opportunity for the party to reset its relationship with Muslim communities.
Not because the investigation was a complete whitewash. It wasn’t. There were serious concerns at the start that the investigation was established with restrictive terms of reference that excluded systemic racism, had an adviser who believed the idea of Islamophobia should be “junked”, and selected a peer reviewer who came from a thinktank that devoted an entire anthology to attacking the very idea of Islamophobia. Despite this, the investigation was not entirely toothless. Important recommendations include an overhaul of the complaints process, the reopening of cases that have fallen short of the expected standards and an outreach strategy focusing on meaningful engagement with Muslim communities.
