Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
14/10/2025
Dear Home Secretary,
I am writing on behalf of the Tower Hamlets Labour Group to express grave concerns about the conduct and ideology of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) under the leadership of Nick Tenconi and to request that the Home Office along with the Metropolitan Police can put measures in place to protect communities in Tower Hamlets during their planned action on the 25th October 2025.
UKIP’s shift towards fascism and far‑right agitation
Recent research by HOPE-not-hate describes UKIP, once a Eurosceptic electoral vehicle, as “a ghost of its former self” that now operates “more as an aggressive street protest outfit than a political party”. Under Mr Tenconi (who has a conviction for violence), the organisation has organised a series of “Mass Deportations Now” protests along the south coast and has established tight links with Stephen Lennon (a.k.a. Tommy Robinson); several of Mr Lennon’s associates now sit on the party’s executive. This new UKIP has adopted an overtly religious, “Christian nationalist” dimension and uses “confrontational politics and religious zealotry” to raise its profile among the far right.
Anti‑fascist monitoring organisations have observed that UKIP has absorbed a cadre of extremists. Searchlight magazine reports that Mr Tenconi’s UKIP has absorbed “particularly unpleasant types from the Tommy Robinson orbit” and now embraces the “we must rule the streets” ideology of Joseph Goebbels’ stormtroopers; Searchlight concludes that Tenconi’s UKIP has effectively become “a party of thugs and grifters”. In February 2025 anti‑fascists in Manchester described a UKIP march as a tiny fascist presence seeking to provoke confrontation; participants carried banners calling for “remigration” and were led in chants demanding mass deportations.
Further evidence of UKIP’s slide into violent extremism comes from reporting by Novara Media. In June 2025 Mr Tenconi led a mob of UKIP activists to the refugee camps in Calais, France. Wearing black leather gloves and a stab vest and wielding a megaphone, Mr Tenconi intimidated migrants and aid workers, calling them “communists, Nazis and terrorists” and telling viewers that left‑wing volunteers are “architects in the subversion of British culture and Christianity”. The harassment was filmed and packaged as a promotional video for UKIP; the party’s chairman, Ben Walker, subsequently launched a £50 000 crowd‑funding appeal to fund UKIP “border security” operations. Novara Media notes that Mr Tenconi is simultaneously leader of UKIP and the far‑right group Turning Point UK and that his mob included activists linked to extremist media channels.
Trade unions and community organisations have also publicly characterised UKIP’s current leadership as far‑right. In September 2025 a joint statement by the Trades Union Congress and several regional unions warned that Nick Tenconi and Tommy Robinson “promote division, hate and a view of society that runs against the very principles of the trade union movement”. The statement noted that they talk about “mass deportations” and “protecting British workers” but that their real mission is to turn worker against worker. It urged communities to mobilise against their “thuggery and intimidation”.
UKIP’s planned march in Whitechapel on 25 October 2025
According to an investigative article by Searchlight magazine, UKIP’s list of summer demonstrations includes a rally scheduled for 25 October 2025 in Whitechapel, East London. Searchlight notes that Mr Tenconi intends to rally his followers near the East London Mosque and “will certainly try to march” through Whitechapel, one of the most Muslim areas of London.
The publication describes this as a “deliberate and spiteful provocation”. It observes that Mr Tenconi hopes to provoke a reaction from London’s Muslim community which he can then misrepresent as an attack on British patriotism. Searchlight warns that the event is designed to impress Tommy Robinson and rejuvenate the relationship between UKIP and Robinson’s supporters.
Tower Hamlets is one of the most diverse boroughs in the UK, with a large Muslim population and a proud history of fighting fascism going back to the Battle of Cable Street. The prospect of a far‑right march through Whitechapel on 25 October has already caused anxiety among residents, faith communities and businesses. Many recall that far‑right marches and rallies have repeatedly escalated into violence; UKIP’s recent events have demanded mass deportations, used inflammatory slogans and attracted individuals involved in neo‑Nazi activism. We fear that a UKIP march through Whitechapel could result in confrontation, disorder and harm to community cohesion.
Request for investigation and intervention
Given the information above, we respectfully request that the Home Office along with the Metropolitan Police undertake an urgent assessment of UKIP to determine whether they pose a threat to the residents of Tower Hamlets if they are allowed to freely conduct their demonstration on the 25th October 2025. In particular, we ask that you examine:
- UKIP’s ideology and rhetoric – whether the party and its leadership promote or encourage violence and terrorism, including mass deportations, intimidation of minority communities and glorification of racist violence.
- UKIP’s activities – whether its demonstrations, such as the planned 25 October march in Whitechapel, are designed to provoke disorder or intimidate the public.
- UKIP’s associations – the extent of the party’s collaboration with convicted extremists and far‑right networks, including its close ties with Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (Tommy Robinson) and involvement of activists linked to neo‑Nazi and white‑supremacist propaganda.
We urge the Home Office to work with the Metropolitan Police to prevent UKIP’s planned march in Whitechapel from threatening public safety and community cohesion.
Tower Hamlets has a proud tradition of standing up to fascism and racism, from Cable Street in 1936 to the defeat of the British National Party in the 1990s. Our communities will not accept intimidation and hate on our streets. We therefore call on you to act decisively to protect residents from the rising threat posed by UKIP’s transformation into a far‑right street movement.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your officials to discuss our concerns further.
Yours sincerely,
Cllr Sirajul Islam
Leader of the Labour Group
Tower Hamlets Council
