Revealed: Secretive Group in House of Lords Led by Former UKIP Leader

乍看上去

• The New Issues Group (NIG) is an organisation operating out of the House of Lords for more than a decade.
• Members of the NIG include the former Ukip leader Malcolm Pearson and the Tory former deputy speaker of the House of Lords Baroness Cox.
• Documents indicate that the group may have attempted to influence parliament by writing questions to be asked in the Lords.
• Members of the NIG were repeatedly reminded of the importance of complete secrecy.
• The documents have raised questions about the group’s activities and its influence on the House of Lords.

细节

The New Issues Group

The New Issues Group (NIG), an organisation operating out of the House of Lords for more than a decade, has been thrust into the spotlight after documents revealed its members included the former Ukip leader Malcolm Pearson and the Tory former deputy speaker of the House of Lords Baroness Cox.

Joe Mulhall, research director at Hope not Hate, described the existence of the secretive organisation as “pretty terrifying”.

Baroness Cox denied that the NIG was anti-Muslim, saying it could “certainly not” be described in such a way.

Malcolm Pearson said it would be wrong to describe it as anti-Muslim and that its main purpose has been and is to support Baroness Cox’s bill.

Influence on Parliament

Documents indicate that the group may have attempted to influence parliament by writing questions to be asked in the Lords.

One figure who would become one of the UK’s most notorious anti-Muslim activists drafted questions to be asked in the House of Lords by group members.

Another member of the NIG was Alan Craig, a former Ukip spokesperson who launched the far-right group Hearts of Oak in 2020. Magnus Nielsen, a known anti-Muslim activist with links to the EDL, created a 2015 “memorandum” which outlined a proposal to launch a street protest organisation.

Secrecy

Founded in 2012, the group met as recently as January this year.

Its existence emerged after Malcolm Pearson sent an email to 235 people but – instead of bcc-ing them – accidentally sent it so that everyone could see the entire list.

The email stated that “if we try to discuss [Islam] in public, we are accused of Islamophobia”.

Members of the NIG were repeatedly reminded of the importance of complete secrecy.

The documents have raised questions about the group’s activities and its influence on the House of Lords.