Goodies for jihadists

In the past fortnight, there has been significant debate about how Britain should treat jihadists who seek to return to this country after fighting with so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Should we, as Max Hill, QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, suggests, excuse “naive” Isil recruits and “reintegrate” them into society? Or should we rather accept, like Rory Stewart, a foreign office minister, that “these people are a serious danger to us, and unfortunately the only way of dealing with them will be, in almost every case, to kill them”.

Those who believe that Mr Stewart’s assessment is far more realistic will be appalled by the news that terror suspects, including jihadists returning from Iraq and Syria, are to be offered bribes to turn away from extremism – including homes and jobs – under a government-backed plan codenamed “Operation Constrain”.

This is not a bidding war between Britain and Isil about which side can offer terrorists the greatest number of goodies to win their loyalty. This is about adults freely choosing to pledge allegiance to a death cult and turning their backs on a country upon whose democratic values and welfare they have already enjoyed. Rightly, those still in the Middle East face being on the wrong end of an RAF missile. Those who make it back to Britain must face trial.