UK reports record rise in racist and religious hate crimes, calls it a national emergency

Official figures released by the Home Office indicate that hate crimes in England and Wales climbed 7% to 146,825 incidents in the year ending March 2026, with 107,926 linked to race and 11,419 to religion. Violence featured in four out of ten cases, and offences against Muslims increased by 15% while those against Jews grew by 10%. Amnesty International UK’s racial justice lead, Ilyas Nagdee, described the trend as a "genuine emergency" and called for immediate government action to speed up investigations and hold perpetrators accountable.

Policing Minister Sarah Jones pledged a robust police response, while Stop Hate UK’s chief executive Rose Simkins cautioned that many incidents likely go unreported and that the rise reflects a broader climate of hostility. The data also noted the highest per-capita rates of religious hate crimes for Jews and Muslims since records began in 2014.