Extremism: Gove issues new definition for 2024
MICHAEL Gove is to compile a list of extremist groups and bar them from government meetings and funding.
The Communities Secretary today unveils a new definition of extremism, warning that divisions in the wake of Hamas’s terror attack on Israel pose a ‘real risk’ to British democracy.
Groups meeting the multipronged definition – even if they are non-violent – will be banned from receiving taxpayers’ money and from contact with ministers or senior civil servants. It will also apply to the honours system and public appointments.
The phrase, which comes into force today, will be used inside government only – not as part of criminal law. However, concerns remain that the measure could have unintended consequences on free speech.
Mr Gove said: ‘The pervasiveness of extremist ideologies has become increasingly clear in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks and poses a real risk to the security of our citizens and our democracy.
‘This is the work of extreme Right- wing and Islamist extremists who are seeking to
separate Muslims from the rest of society and create division within Muslim communities.
‘They seek to radicalise individuals, deny people their full rights, suppress freedom of expression, incite hatred and undermine our democratic institutions. Today’s measures will ensure that government does not inadvertently provide a platform to those setting out to subvert democracy and deny other people’s fundamental rights.’
The Communities Secretary will decide which groups are
extremist based on advice from civil servants. The only right of appeal will be through seeking a judicial review in the courts.
Officials believe the list of organisations likely to be named as extremist ‘will not be long’, but refused to comment on whether the definition could suffer so- called ‘function creep’ and be used in unintended ways – for example, by being cited as evidence in court cases.
The new definition will apply to organisations only, rather than individuals, and has been signed off by the Cabinet, but some ministers remain uneasy that the new mechanism could be abused by a future Labour government.
One Whitehall source said: ‘If the wrong government gets in
‘Poses a real risk to security’
they could potentially extend it into areas which people would not want to see. That is the risk.’
Writing in the Spectator magazine, Toby Young, of the Free Speech Union, said: ‘ Is there a risk this new definition, which includes phrases like “aims to... negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others”, will also be applied to gender critical feminists, anti- abortion activists and other betes noires of metropolitan radicals?’
Tory backbencher Miriam Cates said: ‘If we separate the legal definition of extremism from violence and harm, we risk criminalising people who hold perfectly legitimate views.’