Who are the Muslim politicians of UK cities? There are continuous reports of Muslim mayors and policing and taking over on social media doing rounds.
Executive summary
Social media posts claiming a sweeping “Muslim takeover” of British cities are misleading: while there has been growing Muslim representation—most visibly Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London and Scotland’s Humza Yousaf as First Minister—many viral lists overstate which cities currently have Muslim mayors and conflate different offices and past holders with present incumbents [1] [2] [3] [4]. Reliable fact‑checks show several of the named places did not have Muslim mayors at the time of viral posts, even though local Muslim office‑holders do exist in many towns and an increased number of Muslim MPs were elected to Parliament in recent cycles [3] [4] [5].
1. Who are the highest‑profile Muslim city leaders and what offices do they hold?
The clearest and repeatedly cited example is Sadiq Khan, elected Mayor of London in 2016 and the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, a fact documented in public biographies and widely referenced reporting [1]; Scotland’s Humza Yousaf was sworn in as First Minister in 2023, making him the first Muslim to lead a devolved UK government in western Europe [2]. Both figures are national‑level, directly elected executives whose faith is a matter of public record and media reporting [1] [2].
2. What about mayors in other cities named in viral posts?
Viral claims have named places such as Birmingham, Leeds, Blackburn, Sheffield, Oxford, Luton, Oldham and Rochdale as being “Muslim‑run”; fact‑checks from Reuters and Full Fact show those lists mix past and present officeholders, different kinds of mayoral roles (civic, ceremonial Lord Mayors versus directly elected metro mayors), and include places that did not have Muslim incumbents when the posts circulated, so the claim is partly false or misleading [3] [4]. Reuters specifically checked offices and found several of the listed cities did not have Muslim mayors at the time of the viral post and noted that metropolitan areas have multiple mayoral roles that the post conflated [3].
3. Is Muslim representation growing in elected institutions?
Multiple outlets and community organisations report an increase: Muslim Network and other outlets noted a record number of Muslim MPs elected in recent general elections — figures reported include 25 Muslim MPs in the 2024 parliament, up from 19 in 2019 — reflecting a rise in parliamentary representation though still not strictly proportional to the Muslim share of the population according to some analyses [6] [5] [7]. Local election reporting and community news outlets have catalogued many Muslim councillors and civic mayors — including notable firsts for Muslim women in boroughs and towns — showing expanding participation at local levels [8] [9] [10].
4. Why do misleading “takeover” narratives spread and who benefits?
Fact‑checks point to social media posts that cherry‑pick names and dates, ignore distinctions between ceremonial and executive roles, and amplify anxiety by implying a coordinated religious political agenda where none is evidenced; those dynamics feed polarising narratives and can be exploited by actors seeking clicks, political mobilisation or to stoke cultural fears [3] [4]. Community outlets emphasise achievements and firsts to counteract hostility and misinformation, but these celebratory reports are sometimes repurposed out of context in viral threads [9] [10].
5. What can be confidently concluded from available reporting—and what remains unclear?
It is demonstrable that Britain has visible Muslim leaders in major offices (Sadiq Khan in London and Humza Yousaf in Scotland) and that Muslim representation in Parliament and local government has risen in recent election cycles [1] [2] [5]. It is equally demonstrable that many viral claims about a large number of currently serving Muslim mayors across named cities are inaccurate or lack necessary context about which offices are referenced [3] [4]. Where reporting is limited—such as exact counts of Muslim civic or ceremonial mayors at every local council on a specific date—this analysis does not invent facts and relies on published fact‑checks and community reporting cited above [3] [8].