As AFN reported earlier this week, Andy Burnham was sworn in as the U.K.'s seventh prime minister in the past 10 years. The self-described socialist replaced Keir Starmer as leader of the governing Labour Party.
Dr. Glen Duerr, chair of history and government and professor of international studies at Cedarville University in Ohio, anticipates that Burnham will try to work with Muslims in significant ways.
"It is a popularity base for him, and he will actually probably pander in that direction, especially towards the 2029 general election," he tells AFN. "It could occur earlier, but my sense is that he's going to move in that direction."
The U.K.'s Muslim population has grown from just a few tens of thousands in the 1950s to about 4 million people today, or roughly 6% of the population. Most of them live in major cities like London, Birmingham, and Manchester, and though they, like the broader population, are primarily focused on work, family, education, and community life, they have become increasingly active in politics over the past few decades, with growing representation in Parliament and local government and significant influence in some constituencies where they make up a large share of voters.
They do not, however, constitute a dominant political force nationwide. Depending on future migration levels, reputable studies (such as those by the Pew Research Center) have projected Muslims could comprise roughly 10–17% of the U.K. population by around 2050, but even at the higher end of those scenarios, Muslims would remain a minority nationwide.
Still, Duerr says that shift will be problematic in many regards.
"It will continue moving the United Kingdom away from its Christian moorings and traditions, and it could ultimately be a steppingstone towards something that's much more problematic, especially in terms of Sharia law or existing Sharia courts that occur on an unofficial level in the United Kingdom," he notes. "That's going to be one to watch for all of us."
While the U.K.'s secular legal system remains the only legally binding authority, there are a number of Sharia councils, which are private religious bodies rather than courts. They cannot impose criminal penalties or make legally binding rulings outside the scope of voluntary arbitration; their decisions are subject to U.K. law, and any agreement that conflicts with British law is unenforceable.
Some media reports have stated there are about 85 councils currently operating, but those figures are based on estimates rather than an official government count. The U.K. government's 2018 independent review into the application of Sharia law in England and Wales identified 10 councils with an online presence, while noting that many others operate informally within local communities.
