"Some shouted 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free', a genocidal demand to destroy the state of Israel and cleanse the territory of its Jews."

Responding to the scenes over recent weeks, the former Home Office advisor says the extremism we're now seeing on the streets of Britain calls for a complete overhaul of the Government's current assumptions about diversity and multiculturalism. 

He argues that our "pragmatic, informal, light-touch" approach no longer holds: "The diminished commitment to shared norms and our weaker common identity means there is less social trust to sustain our freedoms in the conventional way."

In a bold list of policy proposals to reinforce British norms, Mr Timothy says the Government must implement a "more muscular approach".

 

General Election - Social Issues© Getty

He calls for a "register of imams and mosques, with unacceptable behaviour leading to preaching bans and closures".

He also suggests Britain should follow France's example and ban the burqa in public places, and ban children from wearing the hijab.

Mr Timothy argues TV channels that broadcast hatred must be shut down, as well as charities that espouse extremist beliefs. 

The Tory candidate for West Suffolk - currently Matt Hancock's constituency - adds that all Sharia law must come to an end in Britain and Sharia marriages criminalised.

He denies that his policy prescriptions amount "to picking on the Islamic faith".

Mr Timothy argues the "problem we face emanates from the Islamic world", and "nothing will change until we tell ourselves the truth".

West Suffolk currently has a Tory majority of 23,000, so it's likely Mr Timothy will succeed in winning his seat regardless of Labour's national poll lead. Story By Christian Calgie, Daily Express