Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Accepted
Paragraph: 113
Publish responses to commissioned reports on freedom of speech and community safety.
Recommendation
The Government has commissioned reports to increase the evidence base in the complex areas of law where the right to freedom of speech intersects with the need for all communities to feel safe as they go about their daily lives. Having commissioned these reports using public money, we expect the Government to publish a response to demonstrate that it has taken account of that evidence. The failure to respond, as well as to other Government commissioned reports such as Sir Tom Winsor’s review on the departure of the previous Met Police Commissioner, demonstrates a pattern of behaviour that we are very concerned about.
Government Response Summary
The government outlines actions it has already taken regarding tackling extremism, including reinforcing the role of the CCE, changing the Prevent Duty Guidance, strengthening the focus of Prevent on ideology, increased work across government to tackle antisemitism and blasphemy, and the Home Secretary welcomed the report by Dame Sara Khan and Sir Mark Rowley on the challenges of tackling extremism and on 14 March, DLUHC announced a new definition of extremism.
Paragraph Reference:
113
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Home Secretary welcomed the report by Dame Sara Khan and Sir Mark Rowley on the challenges of tackling extremism. We take this matter seriously and have strengthened our approach through: (1) Reinforcing the role of the CCE; (2) Changing the Prevent Duty Guidance to stipulate the need to tackle environments that are permissive of extremism; (3) Strengthening the focus of Prevent on ideology, including through guidance, training and changing Prevent objectives. (4) Increased work across government to tackle antisemitism and blasphemy. Police already have the powers to arrest those who incite violence or racial hatred. The government, rightly, keeps this under review. On 14 March, DLUHC announced a new definition of extremism, alongside a set of cross- government engagement principles to be used by government departments and officials to ensure that they are not inadvertently providing a platform, funding or legitimacy to groups or individuals who attempt to advance extremist ideologies. The new definition draws on the work of Dame Sara Khan and Sir Mark Rowley’s 2021 ‘Operating with Impunity Report’.