No evidence 75% of England’s mayors are Muslim

A claim that 75% of England’s mayors are Muslim has been shared thousands of times online. But we could find no evidence to back up this claim. Of the 27 directly elected mayors in England (including the Mayor of London, metro mayors and elected local authority mayors), we could only find evidence that three identify as Muslim.

There is no official list of every ceremonial civic mayor in the country, but we’ve seen no evidence to suggest as many as 75% are Muslim.

Many posts include an image of 18 people it appears to claim are mayors. Full Fact’s analysis shows that while it is true all of the people pictured identify as Muslim and have been mayors at one point, only five of them are still currently mayors of their respective towns and cities. Most of the images show civic mayors, and not directly elected ones.

The posts appear to show, in the first row from left to right, the mayors of Rotherham, Solihull, Salisbury, Oxford, Luton and Rochdale. But only the photo of the Mayor of Rotherham pictured on that row is actually still in office and identifies as Muslim. The current mayors of Solihull, Salisbury, Oxford, Luton and Rochdale are different to those pictured, and there is no evidence these current mayors are Muslim. The images do show previous mayors, however (all of whom were reportedly Muslim).

In the second row only the mayors of Newham, Tower Hamlets and London are currently in office and identify as Muslim. There is no evidence the current Lord Mayor of Manchester City, or the mayors of Blackburn and Oldham are Muslim (although again, the images used show previous mayors who have spoken about their Islamic faith).

And in the third row, only the Muslim Mayor of Sheffield is accurately depicted. The current Mayor of Tameside was born in Bangladesh but is not the woman pictured (who was actually mayor in 2023 and is also a Muslim). There is no evidence the current mayors of East Stafford, Sandwell, Brighton or Camden are Muslim (although those pictured had spoken about their Islamic faith when they were mayors of these towns, boroughs and cities).

Mayors in England

There are several different types of mayors in England, including elected metro mayors such as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, who are elected as chairs of ‘combined authorities’, covering areas of multiple local councils.

There are also elected local authority mayors, who are the leaders in one of three types of ‘political management arrangements’ available to local authorities.

Many councils have civic mayors too, who are appointed annually by local councils and carry out ceremonial duties and chair meetings, but cannot make decisions about council business.

Of the 18 mayors in the image, only three are directly-elected.

Full Fact’s analysis found that of the 27 directly elected mayors in England (including the Mayor of London, metro mayors and elected local authority mayors), there is only evidence that three are Muslim. These are Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, and elected local authority mayors Rohksana Fiaz (London Borough of Newham) and Lutfur Rahman (London Borough of Tower Hamlets).

The Local Government Association (LGA) told us it does not hold an official list of the country’s civic mayors, but we’ve seen no evidence to suggest as many as 75% are Muslim.

London is the most religiously diverse region in England according to the 2021 census, with 15% of residents identifying as Muslim, but our research of the city’s current civic mayors found just one identified as Muslim (although the Speaker of Tower Hamlets, who fulfills the same ceremonial role as the civic mayor in other councils, is also Muslim).

False or misleading claims about specific religious groups can be harmful. Online claims can spread fast and far and are difficult to contain and correct. Internet companies must take responsibility to ensure that they have clear and transparent policies on the treatment of misinformation on their platforms, and then apply them consistently.