Islamic extremism in UK ‘a bigger issue than we realise’

BRITAIN’S counter-terror strategy is to be reviewed after an official report said that the flagship Prevent programme was protecting potential terrorists rather than the public.

Suella Braverman is updating the Government’s approach to terrorism amid concerns too little is being done to stop radical Islamic terror and “emerging and persistent security threats”.

The Home Office strategy, codenamed CONTEST, has foiled more than 30 terror plots since 2017, but ministers believe it should do more to keep the public safe.

It will also take into account the findings of the Manchester Arena inquiry, the second volume of which is being published next week.

It comes after The Sunday Telegraph revealed an official inquiry into the Prevent programme had concluded it had strayed from its “core mission” of stopping people from becoming terrorists.

The report by William Shawcross found it was focused on “protecting those referred into Prevent from harm” rather than “protecting the public”.

A Home Office source said last night that the full counter-terror review would partly focus on the importance of Islamic extremism within the UK.

“We need to face the fact that this is a much bigger issue than we are willing to accept at the moment,” they said.

“Until we accept it, we’re leaving ourselves seriously exposed because we are tolerating extremist ideology. It creates an environment in which terrorist mentalities are more acceptable.”

Ministers are concerned about individuals with “warped views” who commit acts of terror on UK soil as “lone wolves” rather than in terror cells.