that "the delays were very much not of government's making, they were very much of those who are never positive about Prevent making legal challenges".[1]
The Counter-Extremism Strategy
319. The 2015 Counter-Extremism Strategy was launched by the Home Office in a bid to address the harms of extremism beyond terrorism, both "violent and non-violent; Islamist and neo-Nazi". In 2019, the Home Secretary announced a new '2020 Counter Extremism Strategy', in which tackling XRW was to be a priority. At the time of writing, this new strategy has yet to be launched. The Financial Times reported on 11 October 2020 that "One government insider said the Home Office's counter-extremism unit was to be scrapped" and that "staff in the unit had been asked to draw up proposals to fold it into a new programme focused on hateful behaviour, or absorb it into the counter-terrorism work".[2]
320. The Commission for Countering Extremism told the Committee: "We believe current Counter Extremism strategies are weak, slow, disjointed and outdated. While we have a well developed counter-terrorism machinery, one of the best in the world, we lack a similar machinery or infrastructure for counter extremism".[3]
We questioned the Home Office as to what was happening with regard to the review—the Home Office advised that it is still under consideration:
We are considering the best way to tackle extremism in future, and this includes considering whether a separate counter extremism strategy is the best way forward or to what extent it is better to incorporate this work into CONTEST. An important part of this work is how we respond to the Extreme Right-Wing and ensuring this is fully tied in with other work that is being done under CONTEST.[4]
- ↑ Oral evidence - Home Office, 20 May 2021.
- ↑ 'Britain to overhaul its counter-extremism strategy', Financial Times, 11 October 2020.
- ↑ Written evidence - Commission for Countering Extremism, 17 December 2020.
- ↑ Written evidence - Home Office, 27 May 2021.
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