CLA · On the Record
Campaign Director and co-founder, Restore Britain
“If somebody was Islamic then they are certainly less British.”
Context
Asked what makes someone British, Downes said Britishness was rooted in ancestry and Christian faith and explicitly said a Muslim person was “certainly less British”.
Evidence
Source: TalkTV interview, reported by The Telegraph
Evidence status: Established-media quotation from a recorded interview; Downes subsequently defended the position publicly.
Legal status: Political speech; no finding of unlawful conduct is asserted.
Last reviewed: 7 October 2026
About On the Record
On the Record publishes only statements whose discriminatory or exclusionary proposition is clear from the words themselves. Inclusion is not an allegation of illegality. We publish the source, context and legal status so readers can judge the evidence themselves.
Source checked · Context preserved · Evidence available.
Responses and outcomes
Follow the response to this statement or incident →. The tracker shows the scope of the check, its sources and any gaps; it does not attach unrelated proceedings.