Islamic extremism in UK is ‘a bigger issue than we are willing to accept’, Home Office source claims

Islamic extremism in the UK is ‘a bigger issue than we are willing to accept’ a Home Office source has warned after it was revealed that the counter-terror strategy will be reviewed following a report which found that it focuses on protecting terrorists over the public.

Suella Braverman is re-evaluating the country’s response to terrorism after an inquiry into the Prevent programme found that it no longer focused on the ‘core mission’ of stopping people becoming terrorists.

The assessment, which was commissioned three years ago, also warned that the programme disproportionately focuses on far-right extremism and not the ‘lethal threat from Islamism’.

The strategy, which runs under the codename CONTEST, has stopped more than 30 terrorism plots in six years, but ministers have said that it should do more to keep Brits safe.

There are concerns that it is not doing enough to stop radical Islamic terror threats, and other emerging threats. 

Yesterday a source in the Home Office warned that Islamic extremism in UK is ‘a bigger issue than we are willing to accept’.

Suella Braverman is re-evaluating the country’s response to terrorism after an inquiry into the Prevent programme found that it was no longer focused on the ‘core mission’ of stopping people become terrorists

Sir David Amess’s killer Ali Harbi Ali (left) and London Bridge attacker Usman Khan were both referred to Prevent 

‘Until we accept it, we’re leaving ourselves seriously exposed because we are tolerating extremist ideology. It creates an environment in which terrorist mentalities are more acceptable,’ they told The Telegraph.

The country’s head of counter-terror policing, Matt Jukes, told the newspaper that other challenges facing the country include ‘self-initiated terrorism’, with fragmented ideologies and online hate reaching young people.

Tom Tugendhat, security minister, said that the Government must evolve as the face of terrorism changes.

‘We will ensure that our response to the terror threat continues to be world-leading and ensure we have a strategy that allows people to go about their lives freely and with confidence,’ he told the newspaper.

The Home Office review will also look at findings from the Manchester Arena Inquiry, the second part of which is being released next week.

Tom Tugendhat, security minister, said that the Government must evolve as the face of terrorism changes

The findings of the Prevent report caused concern within the Government, The Telegraph reported last month. 

The official inquiry concluded Prevent, which was originally established by Tony Blair, is no longer fulfilling its ‘core mission’ of stopping people from becoming terrorists. 

Instead the programme is allegedly ‘protecting those referred into Prevent from harm’ instead of ‘protecting the public’ from potential terrorists.

The assessment, written by former Charity Commission chairman William Shawcross, argued Prevent must ‘return to its overarching objective: to stop individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.’

‘Prevent is a crucial pillar of the UK’s counter-terrorism architecture, yet it has increasingly come to be seen as synonymous with safeguarding (i.e. an emphasis on protecting those referred into Prevent from harm and addressing their personal vulnerabilities).

‘Prevent too often bestows a status of victimhood on all who come into contact with it, confusing practitioners and officials as to Prevent’s fundamental purpose.’

The report also claims some taxpayer funds being distributed by Prevent are at risk of being handed to groups that promote extremist views.

Mr Shawcross reportedly examined hundreds of millions of pounds of funding distributed by the programme. 

He alleged Prevent was ‘too often’ putting money towards ‘generic’ projects and in some instances risked the funds going to organisations that ‘promoted extremist narratives.’

He claimed one piece of internal research at Prevent ‘listed a prominent Conservative politician and member of the Government as being among figures ‘associated with far-right sympathetic audiences, and Brexit.” 

In another example he claimed officials involved with the programme are focusing on right-wing extremism ‘above and beyond the actual threat it posed’ to ‘try and fend off accusations’ that the organizations was ‘stigmatising minority communities’.

The assessment, written by former Charity Commission chairman William Shawcross (pictured in 2011), argues Prevent must ‘return to its overarching objective: to stop individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism’

‘Prevent’s first objective — to tackle the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism — is not being sufficiently met,’ Mr Shawcross aid. ‘Prevent is not doing enough to counter non-violent Islamist extremism.’ 

He did applaud he programme’s current ‘Prevent duty,’ which requires public officials to prevent people from being drawn to extremism. He said the duty ‘works well’ and is ‘especially effective in schools.’

He was also ‘greatly encouraged by the dedication and diligence’ of the programme’s current ‘early intervention’ mechanism.

A Home Office spokesman told the Telegraph at the time: ‘Prevent is a vital tool for safeguarding against radicalisation. We will not allow extremists or terrorists to spread hate or sow division, and Prevent provides crucial interventions that divert people away from dangerous ideologies.

‘The Independent Review of Prevent will ensure we continue to improve our counter-terrorism response, and stop people from being drawn into terrorism.’

An updated version of CONTEST is expected to be released next year. The strategy includes Prevent, Protect, Prepare and Pursue.

Prevent anti-terror scheme is too vague about people ‘vulnerable to extremism’ including those with ‘mental health issues, learning disabilities and religious converts’ – leading to thousands of unnecessary referrals 

ByRory Tingle, Home Affairs Correspondentand Duncan Gardham For Mailonline 

The government’s flagship anti-terror strategy is so vague it leads to thousands of unnecessary referrals from teachers and healthcare professionals, according to a report. 

The study found the categories of people who may be ‘vulnerable to extremism’ under the Prevent programme were ill defined and ‘lacked clear connections to violent radicalisation’. 

They included ‘people with mental health issues or learning disabilities’, ‘young offenders and people vulnerable to offending’ and religious converts who were ‘less well-informed about their faith’. 

The lack of clarity may explain the high number of Prevent referrals referred to the Channel phase which are not taken up. Of the 6,287 referrals made to Channel –  in 2019-20, just 697 were taken up.

‘This suggests that Prevent is casting a very wide net, and may not be working as efficiently as it can,’ the report says.

A very small minority of referrals to the Prevent Channel phase – which is reserved for the most serious cases – are taken up as Channel cases 

The most common sources of Prevent referrals are police officers and teachers 

The scheme works by local council-appointed Prevent coordinators taking referrals from public servants like teachers and social workers, with each individual of concern categorised by their ideology.

Less serious cases are dealt with by councils, who can offer services like mentoring or parenting support, while the more serious ones go to Channel, where a panel of local officials, including police, will recommend the next steps. 

Despite the report’s criticisms, the report found many of the attacks on the programme were misguided and relied largely on ‘speculation and unproven assumptions’ by scholars and ‘anti-Prevent activists’. 

Many critics were motivated by a ‘conspiratorial view of both government and academic work on terrorism and counterterrorism’ and a belief that Prevent ‘criminalises’ Muslims, wrote its author, Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens. 

He said polling suggests most Muslims had not heard of Prevent but supported its underlying premise, while university staff felt it was a ‘proportionate response’ to the terror threat – even if they were unsure of its focus on British values. 

Suella Braverman, the home secretary, is believed to be planning a major overhaul of Prevent following the publication of the Shawcross Review, which scrutinises the programme and is expected to be released by the end of the year. 

Six of the 11 most significant recent terror attacks were carried out by individuals who have gone through Prevent.

The MP Sir David Amess’s killer Ali Harbi Ali – who was sentenced last month to a whole life order – had been referred to the programme in 2014 but a year later it was concluded he no longer posed a threat.

Usman Khan, 28, who stabbed two young graduates to death after a prisoner rehabilitation event on London Bridge, had come into contact with Prevent officers who had ‘no specific training’ in handling terrorists, an inquest heard.

Another terrorist referred to Prevent was Sudesh Amman, who stabbed two people in Streatham, south London, in February 2019. However, a panel decided his case did not require intervention.

Meanwhile, Parsons Green bomber Ahmed Hassan was also referred to the anti-terror scheme 20 months before he planted a device on the Tube that injured 50 people during rush hour in 2017. 

Earlier this year it emerged the number of military personnel referred to Prevent had doubled in a year amid fears the far right are actively targeting soldiers. 

Freedom of Information Act disclosures show a total of 40 soldiers, air force personnel and sailors have been probed over extremist concerns since 2019.

Half of them were referred to Prevent over alleged extreme right-wing activity.

Four serving members of the army were arrested in 2017 under anti-terror laws on suspicion of being members of banned neo-Nazi group National Action.

The court heard Afghanistan veteran Lance Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen had been trying to recruit fellow soldiers for National Action to ‘cleanse our lands’.

Sickening bunting proudly displaying swastikas was found in his possession. 

A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to doing everything possible to protect our communities from the threat of terrorism and the UK has one of the most robust counter-terrorism frameworks in the world.

‘Prevent has changed and saved the lives of individuals from all walks of life, with over 3,000 people led away from radicalisation and supported through the programme.