Committee publication · Correspondence · 4 February 2026
Letter from the Security Minister following his appearance on 20 Januaury relating to the inquiry on Combatting new forms of extremism 02.02.2026
From: Home Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Combatting New Forms of Extremism
Summary
Security Minister Dan Jarvis writes to the Home Affairs Committee following his 20 January appearance on combating new forms of extremism. He provides detailed information on legislation used to counter extremism, explains Prevent referral processes and safeguarding routes, outlines the monitoring of cases falling below Prevent thresholds, and clarifies government funding for counter-extremism measures, which totalled £38.7m in 2025/26.
Key findings
- Government uses a wide range of legislative powers to counter extremism, including the Public Order Acts 1986 and 2023, Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, Online Safety Act 2023, and immigration and sanctions legislation.
- Between April 2024–March 2025, 50% of Prevent referrals (4,363 cases) were signposted to other support services at assessment stage; 2% (163 cases) were signposted at Channel panel stage when no radicalisation risk identified.
- Prevent funding has remained relatively stable over five years, ranging from £34.5m (2023/24) to £38.7m (2025/26), though local authority funding has reduced and operational delivery team funding has increased.
- A 'Below Thresholds Pilot' in nine local authorities (extended to March 2026) focuses on high-risk cases with no counter-terrorism relevance but other safeguarding concerns to inform future policy.
- Lord Anderson's review recommendations on clarifying Prevent thresholds and improving safeguarding connections are on track for majority completion by Summer 2026; broader reforms will be considered alongside the Southport Inquiry findings.
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Dan Jarvis MBE MP, Dame Karen Bradley, Home Affairs Committee, Home Office, Department for Education, Lord Anderson, Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism
Notable line
“… where there are concerns about a risk of future offending which are not Prevent-related, there may not be an appropriate service to manage this risk in every area.”
Key Quotes
“As Counter-Extremism work crosses a number of different policy areas, budgets are not specifically ringfenced as ' Counter- Extremism ' and it is therefore not possible to provide a figure for the total budget for Counter- Extremism measures.”
“It is important that our response is joined up across government. We work closely together, meeting regularly to understand each other's working priorities and to avoid any duplication of efforts.”
“Where there is not a concern that a person is at risk of being drawn into terrorism, they are not eligible for Prevent support.”
“Once a referral is no longer considered to have risk relevant to Prevent, it would be inappropriate to continue to monitor the person.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗