LABOUR slammed the brakes on its war against violent extremism yesterday - amid fears it had upset Muslim voters.
Millions spent preventing Asian kids becoming terrorists will now be used to tackle right-wing racists in Whiteareas.
Community cohesion minister Shahid Malik admitted he was softening his stance because Muslims felt stigmatised.
But a former Labour aide called the move a "dangerous dilution" of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy.
Tories branded it a shameless bid to win back Muslim voters who deserted Labour over Iraq and Afghanistan.
More than £45million a year has been spent on measures to prevent Al-Qaeda recruiting young Muslims in the UK. It included action to break up Islamic ghettos and stop university hate preachers. But Mr Malik, the first British-born Muslim MP, yesterday unveiled plans to 'broaden' the scope of the campaign.
"We shall be putting a renewed focus on resisting right-wing racist extremism. We cannot dismiss or underestimate the threat."
His action contrasts with the tough stance of ex-minister Hazel Blears. She broke links with Muslim groups that failed to denounce extremists. Her adviser Paul Richards said:
"The good work by Hazel is being undone in the name of political correctness."
Former shadow home secretary David Davis said:
"This has been watered down for purely political reasons. Labour has always seen Muslim voters as its own property."
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