Prevent counter-terrorism programme 'failing to keep Britain safe', damning reports says

Officials have seen a surge in referrals to the programme in the wake of the Southport murders and are expecting a record total this year.

The report found 90 per cent of people referred to Prevent over the past decade had been turned away because they had no obvious ideology, yet could go on to commit violent crimes.

It comes amid an ongoing inquiry into Axel Rudakubana, who killed three young girls and attempted to kill ten others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July 2024.

The then-teenager was referred to Prevent three times before the attack, but an assessment found there was "no apparent ideology".

The ICCT said that those involved in potential terror plots are "increasingly younger and may be driven by complex mixes of ideology, grievance, and personal vulnerability".

It said: "The commission heard evidence that, without careful calibration, counter-terrorism powers risk being applied too broadly capturing behaviour that is harmful but not terrorist.

"This concern is most acute in the Prevent programme, where the boundaries between safeguarding, criminal justice, and counter-terrorism have become increasingly blurred."

Figures released last week showed there were 8,778 referrals of individuals to the anti-extremism scheme in 2024/25, up 27 per cent from 6,922 in the previous year, according to Home Office data.

The 3,287 referrals in January-March 2025 is the highest number in a single quarter since data began.

Government data published on Thursday show that referrals in the "no ideology" category made up 4,917 (56 per cent), the largest proportion of referrals of the 8,769 cases where a type of concern was logged.

It said that of 58,000 people referred to Prevent since 2015, more than 90 per cent had no counter-terrorism concerns.

It added that Prevent was based on "a flawed radicalisation model", despite there being "no evidence that radicalisation is a predictor of whether a person will become a terrorist.

The body said: "Terrorism should be defined narrowly as acts intended to coerce, compel, or subvert government or an international governmental organisation, and the threshold for property damage should apply only to conduct causing serious risk to life, national security, or public safety, or involving arson, explosives, or firearms."

"The board has increased parliamentary scrutiny of decisions to proscribe groups, and for suspects to only be charged under section 12 or 13 of the Terrorism Act, which cover support for banned groups, "where there is clear intent to commit the offence."

Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, was charged under Section 13 for allegedly holding up a Hezbollah flag at a gig, before the case was thrown out due to a technical error.

Meanwhile, hundreds of alleged Palestine Action protesters have been charged under the same law, the majority for holding up banners that said: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."

ICCT chairman Sir Declan Morgan KC said: "The evidence we had shows that the present approach to Prevent is not fit for purpose.

"Prevent should be integrated into a wider, local authority-led multiagency safeguarding 'front door' that works with communities to mainstream violence prevention work, currently processed through Prevent, into broader violence reduction strategies.

"We need to move away from the radicalisation model and instead concentrate our resources on individual resilience and building trust and social cohesion in neighbourhoods."

A Home Office spokesman said: "We thank the Independent Commission for their report, which is essential to ensuring our system continues to be fit for purpose.

"The UK has one of the most robust counter-terrorism frameworks in the world, and we continue to strengthen these to reflect the evolving nature of the threat.

"Prevent continues to play a vital role in this by stopping people from becoming terrorists, and has diverted close to 6,000 people away from violent ideologies.

"But we know there is further to go, which is why a number of recommendations from the Lessons for Prevent report have been immediately actioned, and its remit and effectiveness is consistently reviewed."

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