See the poll results in full

MOST British Muslims think there should be a single leader for their religion in Britain to act as their voice and help them to integrate.

They think a British Mufti, to represent them alongside other religious leaders such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster and the Chief Rabbi, would help to ease tensions between Muslims and other groups.

It would also help to ensure a more positive image in the media, according to a poll of 622 Muslims carried out by the online pollster YouGov.

Divisions between Muslims would make the creation of a British Mufti difficult. While 57% of Sunnis and 53% of other Muslim groups are in favour, the proportion falls to just 30% among Britain’s Shi’ite Muslims.

The poll, carried out between April 19 and May 16, shows that among Sunnis a three-to-one majority thinks that a recognised religious leader would have a positive impact, but 7% more Shi’ites disagree than agree.

There are about 1.8m Muslims in Britain and more than 90% are believed to be Sunni, which is also the dominant denomination worldwide.

Among Sunnis, 67% said that a Mufti would give them a voice in the media; 63% that it would make them feel they were making a positive contribution to society; and 58% that it would give them a sense of belonging and ensure they were taken seriously by the government.