Angela visited a local mosque to discuss record funding announced by the Government to protect faith communities.
Local police forces have also stepped up patrols in at-risk areas, and the Government has given police more powers and resources to manage intimidating protests, investigate religious hate crimes and support communities who feel targeted.
Angela spoke to Imams and the Management Committee at Masjid-e-Hamzah in Katherine Street about the £73.4 million fund for protective security at Muslim, Jewish and other faith sites.
The money will be available in 2026/27 through the government’s different protective security schemes and will pay for on-site security staff and equipment such as CCTV, fencing, intruder alarms and floodlights.
Up to £40 million will be available through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, which supports mosques, Muslim schools and community centres, while up to £28.4 million will be available through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, which is managed by the Community Security Trust (CST), for measures at synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres.
Eligible organisations can apply on a rolling basis directly with the Home Office and the application window opens later this year.
Last October, the Prime Minister announced the Jewish and Muslim protective security schemes would receive an additional £10 million uplift in 2025 to 2026 to respond to increased threats.
Meanwhile, the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme, which is for all non-Jewish or Muslim faiths, will receive an uplift of £1.5 million, bringing the total available to protect Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and other faith sites to a record £5 million.
Angela said: “Nobody should be forced to live a smaller life in this country because of their faith. Only last week, we saw two people arrested following an incident at Manchester Central Mosque and last October, two people were killed at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester.
“This funding will protect places of worship, faith-based schools and community centres across the country. We will never tolerate religious hatred or intimidation.”
Hate crime sits at unacceptable levels across the UK. The 2025 hate crime statistics for England and Wales show overall religious hate crime was at all-time record levels. Just under half of all religious hate crimes last year targeted Muslims while recent statistics published by the CST show that antisemitic incidents in 2025 were at their second-highest levels since the CST began keeping records.