An influential cross-party group of MPs has concluded that the government’s counter-terrorism programme, Prevent, is “outdated and inadequately prepared” to deal with modern challenges such as extremists following a particular ideology.
The Home Affairs Select Committee has called for a reset of the approach to tackle rapidly growing online subcultures promoting anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim hostility, misogyny and violence, as well as the over-representation of neurodiverse people and people with mental health conditions.
A report released on Wednesday said ministers should move away from a “counter-terrorism mentality” and instead establish a multi-agency strategy to attempt referrals to appropriate services.
The report is based on concerns that the £40m programme, which is a key part of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, has failed to raise concerns about individuals involved in recent extremist attacks.
Last year Prevent and Southport’s review of murderer Axel Rudakubana found the plan closed his case “prematurely” because there was no evidence he had any fixed ideology or motivation.
A separate Prevent Learning review found that Ali Harbi Ali, who murdered Southend West MP Sir David Ames at a constituency surgery in October 2021, was removed from the plan too early.
Karen Bradley, Conservative chair of the committee, said: “Many of the core actions designed to desensitize children and young people at risk of radicalization were set in a different era.
“Prevention has the clear and obvious task of preventing people from becoming radicalized into terrorism, but more and more it has to support people with no ideological motivation, who may have complex needs and may operate in digital spaces that are less understood.
“There is a need for a broader structure at the local level, but this should be implemented across the country, which triages referrals to where they can receive the right support.”
The report says extremism is driven by algorithms that maximize engagement and profits. It said, “Now driven by AI, the speed and scale at which content is created has outstripped the ability to control and remove it. Smaller platforms lack adequate regulatory scrutiny and have become hubs for the growth of extremism.”
MPs said there is a lack of clarity and direction from the government on tackling extremism outside of established counter-terrorism mechanisms.
“Prevention is a key mechanism to deal with individuals deemed at risk, but it is outdated and inadequately prepared to deal with the challenges of modern extremism… there is a growing need for it to support non-ideological or neurodiverse individuals,” the report said.
The committee said the Home Office had also allowed Prevent to exceed its remit.
“Prevention must have a clearly defined role within the wider safety and violence-prevention system that can better identify which services are best to support the specific needs of people referred to it,” the report said.
Trends identified by the 62-page report include:
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The trend of people under 18 years of age being attracted towards extremism is increasing.
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Neurodiverse individuals, particularly those with autistic spectrum disorders, are being over-represented among referrals to the program.
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Fluid or hybrid ideological beliefs and a shift toward nihilistic violence among the people referred to.
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Persuasive and creative tools such as memes, humor and coded messages are being used to spread extremist content in an accessible and engaging way.
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Generative AI is being used to generate large amounts of customized content and disinformation.
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There has been an increase in hate crimes and incidents in the UK that are linked to anti-blasphemous activism, anti-Israel extremism, anti-Muslim hostility and eco-extremism.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are introducing a fundamental change to the way we counter extremism so we can keep the public safe.
“This includes expanding our visa taskforce to prevent foreign extremists from setting foot on UK soil, enhancing our disruption capacity to dismantle extremist networks across the country and publishing more information to arm frontline workers with the tools they need to tackle extremism.”
