Recommendation 12

HM Government · verbatim extract Accepted

As announced in the Government’s Protecting What Matters publication, the Government is delivering a fundamental reset of how we counter extremism, ensuring we have the tools, capabilities, and partnerships to match the scale and nature of an evolving threat. Our Extremism Disruptions team, which horizon scans for extremist influence and events, will be expanded with additional resource to provide greater support to local authorities to disrupt extremist networks at a national and local level. The Home Office is also increasing efforts to stop hate preachers and extremists from entering the UK as part of an expanded global visa taskforce. More individuals of extremist concern will be identified and referred to specialist teams to take swift immigration action, including cancelling or refusing their visas or Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs), should they attempt to travel to the UK. This builds on strong action over the past two years where the highest harm extremists from across the ideological spectrum were targeted and stopped from coming to the UK. This included an Islamist extremist looking to deliver sermons across the country, individuals who were seeking to attend the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally last month, and neo-Nazis looking to celebrate their vile views at a music festival. Our annual ‘State of Extremism’ report will support public sector staff to tackle extremism. This will include information on what extremism looks like today in the UK—groups, narratives and ideologies, including Islamist and Extreme Right—as well as the action this government is taking to disrupt these extremist threats. The first iteration of this will be published by the end of 2026. We are also embedding the 2024 definition of extremism and engagement principles across government to ensure a consistent understanding of extremism, which is essential to tackling it effectively. We are reinforcing this through clearer guidance and improved training, helping those on the frontline to recognise extremism and the different extremist ideologies which underpin it. Updating and embedding the 2024 engagement principles will assist public bodies to not confer legitimacy, funding or influence on extremist groups. We will support due diligence capabilities to ensure we can take evidence-based decisions about engagement which are in line with the updated principles. We will deliver this work in partnership with other partners across government, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Local Authorities, police and more, coordinating effort to ensure a shared understanding of the threat and aligned effort to tackle the causes and drivers of extremism. Protecting What Matters also contains a commitment to stand up a new Ministerial steering group to drive progress, reporting directly to the Prime Minister. Home Office Ministers will be represented at this. Key trends in extremism highlighted during the inquiry The Committee highlighted six key trends in extremism: 1. Increasing involvement of young people 2. Hybridised and conflicted ideological belief systems 3. The role of online spaces, social media and influencers 4. Use of technology, including generative AI 5. Over-representation of neurodiverse individuals and those with mental health conditions 6. Rising anti-blasphemy extremism, anti-Israel extremism and anti-Muslim hostility Below, we have set out both our understanding of, and response to, each of the key trends identified. Increasing involvement of young people Between April 2024 and March 2025, the education sector contributed the highest number of referrals (3,129; 36%) into the Prevent programme. This illustrates the continued importance of the education sector in identifying young people at risk of radicalisation and intervening early to provide them with support. The education sector has consistently been one of the highest referrers to Prevent, which is why a greater number of minors are discussed at Channel and adopted as cases. The sector has a strong focus on safeguarding learners from all types of harm, including radicalisation into terrorism. Young people can be particularly vulnerable due their age and cognitive development and may be more susceptible to being drawn into terrorism. The Home Office and Department for Education continue to actively work with the education sector, national partners, and local partners to safeguard children and young people from these risks. As evidenced by the data on referrals by education settings, Prevent remains a vital tool for early intervention and safeguarding for children. Prevent has been a statutory duty since 2015 and, as the system matures, we would expect to see Prevent further embedded within sectors and referral numbers increasing. The Department for Education have published comprehensive advice and made a range of resources freely available on the Educate Against Hate website to support teachers in protecting children from extremism