The Conservative Party has a "terrible problem" with Islamophobia and is acting "very poorly", MPs have been told.

The Commons Home Affairs Committee heard the comments during a discussion as part of its inquiry into Islamophobia in the UK.

A panel was asked by committee chairman Yvette Cooper what role political parties had to play in the matter.

Professor Tariq Modood, director of the University of Bristol Research Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, replied: "I think the Conservative Party has a terrible problem with Islamophobia at the moment.

"It's so evident. There are so many cases.

"They are acting very poorly."

Prof Modood said he did not want to "single them out" but it seemed a "particularly egregious case" and that a "particularly prominent party" was showing a "distressingly low willingness to address the problem".

He said he thought other political parties such as Labour had shown "active engagement", but added: "I'm not saying there isn't Islamophobia in the Labour Party.

"I expect there is.

"It would be highly unusual if there wasn't."

MPs also discussed education, employment, poverty and the justice system with the panel as it held its third evidence session on discrimination experienced by Muslims in the country.

Raheel Mohammed, director of charity Maslaha, said there had been a "definite increase" in the number of Muslim men in prisons - making up around 15% of the inmate population - but the reasons behind this had not been analysed.

He told the committee: "In 1997, there were around 3,600 Muslim men in prisons.

"Now there is just under 14,000.

"This has doubled in the past 10 years.

"We don't know what the reason is."

The committee later heard from Ian Blackford MP, leader of the Scottish National Party's Westminster group, on the subject.

He said: "I think perhaps there has been a lack of willingness to confront this issue but that is changing.

"We need to do everything we can to confront it.

"I think it's fair to say that the political culture over the last few years has led to an increase in hate crimes.

"Everything that we have gone through, the divisions which we have in society."

Mr Blackford told the committee he was "very concerned" about Islamophobia in Scotland.

He said there had been a "very marked increase" in the number of people charged with Islamophobic hate crimes - jumping from 15 in 2010/11 to 115 in 2017/18 - according to analysis of figures.

Mr Blackford added: "All of us in public life have a responsibility for calling out these hate crimes."

His comments come as it was announced a cross-party public inquiry into Islamophobia would take place in the Scottish Parliament.

By Flora Thompson