Home Office issues £66m in emergency security funding after Southport disorder
A separate scheme issued a record £41m for mosques, Islamic faith schools and associated sites in 2025–26, while Muslim community representatives called for action on anti-Muslim hostility.
The Home Office issued about £66m in emergency security funding to mosques and associated sites after violent disorder spread across UK cities following the 2024 Southport attack. The figures, obtained by The Guardian through a freedom of information request, show the scale of the temporary response.
A separate protective security scheme issued about £41m in 2025–26 for mosques, Islamic faith schools and related sites, a record for the scheme. Funding under it rose from £73,147 in 2016–17 to about £3m in 2022–23 and £29m in 2024–25.
The emergency scheme followed the murder of three girls in Southport. Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers were targeted after false claims spread online that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Akeela Ahmed, chief executive of the British Muslim Trust, said the figures reflected rising anti-Muslim hostility and called for action to address its causes. Shaista Gohir of Muslim Women’s Network UK said the government response remained limited compared with the scale of the problem, and raised concerns about access to funding.
In Birmingham, the Jami community centre reported at least five hate crime or racially aggravated criminal damage incidents between March and July 2026, according to West Midlands police. The centre has introduced security measures while completing a funding application.
The Home Office said it was processing applications and that £40m was available through protective security schemes in 2026–27, as part of a record £77.4m investment in security funding for faith communities.
