Michael Gove’s ‘hate tsar’ quits before he’s even begun

Michael Gove’s mission to tackle extremism has got off to a shaky start. Fiyaz Mughal, the man who was reportedly lined up to officially begin as the government’s anti-Muslim hatred tsar today, has quit after being bombarded with hate mail.

Mughal said he received a ‘torrent of abuse’ from both Islamists and far-right extremists just hours after his name was leaked on Friday. ‘Serious stuff was coming through my inbox,’ Mughal said, who hit out at ministers for failing to protect him from the backlash:

I’m angry because the government has been saying for decades, ‘where are the British Muslims speaking out?’ When we speak out, we are left to our own devices. The impact on our personal and professional lives is enormous.

Mughal’s decision to walk away from the role is a blow for Gove, who on Thursday will reveal a brand new definition of extremism. The move is supposed to help a number of regulatory bodies cut funding to far-right and Islamist groups.