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Counter-extremism: David Cameron extends powers to block passports Counter-extremism: David Cameron extends powers to block passports
(about 2 hours later)
More parents will be able to ask for their children's passports to be cancelled if they fear the youngsters are at risk of radicalisation. More parents will be able to ask for their children's passports to be cancelled if they fear they could go overseas to join terror groups.
The power already applies to under 16s, but will be extended to 16 and 17-year-olds as well, David Cameron is to say. The power already covers under-16s, but will be widened to 16 and 17-year-olds.
He will also say that anyone with a conviction for extremist activity will be automatically barred from working with children and vulnerable people. Anyone with a conviction for extremist activity will also be automatically barred from working with children and vulnerable people, under the plans.
Labour says the prime minister must ensure measures are not "heavy-handed". But Muslim leaders warned the strategy "continues down a flawed path" and risks "alienating" Muslims in Britain.
Parents of children aged under 16 have had the power to request the withdrawal of passports since the start of a trial scheme in July, and according to Downing Street it has already been used several times.Parents of children aged under 16 have had the power to request the withdrawal of passports since the start of a trial scheme in July, and according to Downing Street it has already been used several times.
The aim of the policy is to stop young people travelling to join terror groups, such as so-called Islamic State, overseas.The aim of the policy is to stop young people travelling to join terror groups, such as so-called Islamic State, overseas.
The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the new vetting rules would apply to anyone coming into contact with children or vulnerable people, including volunteers, and would see extremists treated in the same way as sex offenders.The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said the new vetting rules would apply to anyone coming into contact with children or vulnerable people, including volunteers, and would see extremists treated in the same way as sex offenders.
The government has already announced a number of other measures as part of its counter-extremism strategy, including:The government has already announced a number of other measures as part of its counter-extremism strategy, including:
Ahead of the PM's announcement, Home Secretary Theresa May told BBC Radio 5 live the passport measure had only been used by "a small number" of parents since July, but it was part of a package of new powers that would help tackle extremism. Police estimate that at least 700 people from the UK have travelled to support or fight for jihadist organisations in Syria and Iraq.
Home Secretary Theresa May said on Monday the passport measure had only been used by "a small number" of parents since July, but it was part of a package of new powers that would help tackle extremism.
She also acknowledged, however, that in some cases it was parents themselves who were choosing to take their children overseas to join terrorist groups.She also acknowledged, however, that in some cases it was parents themselves who were choosing to take their children overseas to join terrorist groups.
Mr Cameron, who on Sunday announced an extra £5m would be given to moderate Muslim groups and charities, will say that defeating Islamist extremism is "one of the biggest social problems we need to overcome". 'Compliance test'
"We know that extremism is really a symptom; ideology is the root cause - but the stakes are rising and that demands a new approach," he will argue. On the wider plans, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain Dr Shuja Shafi accused the prime minister of a "misguided 'conveyor-belt theory' analysis that conflates terrorism with subjective notions of extremism and Islamic practices".
"Whether it is in mosques, education or charities, the strategy will reinforce perceptions that all aspects of Muslim life must undergo a 'compliance' test to prove our loyalty to this country," he said in a statement.
"These measures could be seen more as a means to address the anxieties a minority of people may have against Muslims and their religious life, rather than the scourge of terrorism itself."
Dr Shafi also said he detected "McCarthyist undertones" in the plans to create blacklists and exclude and ban people those deemed to be extremists.
Analysis
Dominic Casciani, BBC home affairs correspondent
The government is talking about new specific deradicalisation programmes and "empowering" the UK's Syrians, Iraqis and Kurds to take a lead role in speaking out.
How exactly they plan to do this remains unclear - not least because there are very few people who are qualified to carry out deradicalisation work. The recent case of a Blackburn teenager who plotted terrorism on the other side of the world shows how such work can ultimately be in vain.
The elephant in the room is, of course, the internet. Ministers are trying to persuade social media companies to spend more of their dotcom millions on crushing extremism.
Many of these firms think there is only so much they can do when Islamic State recruits continually relaunch themselves online under a new guise.
Can David Cameron's extremism plan work?
Mr Cameron, who on Sunday announced an extra £5m for grassroots campaigns and charities working to counter extremism in communities, said defeating Islamist extremism was "one of the biggest social problems we need to overcome".
"We know that extremism is really a symptom; ideology is the root cause - but the stakes are rising and that demands a new approach," he continued.
"So we have a choice - do we choose to turn a blind eye or do we choose to get out there and make the case for our British values?""So we have a choice - do we choose to turn a blind eye or do we choose to get out there and make the case for our British values?"
'Divide communities''Divide communities'
Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said Labour would support measures that were "reasonable, proportionate and evidence-based", but he criticised Mr Cameron for having earlier this year implied that "the whole Muslim community quietly condones extremism".Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham said Labour would support measures that were "reasonable, proportionate and evidence-based", but he criticised Mr Cameron for having earlier this year implied that "the whole Muslim community quietly condones extremism".
"He should use today's speech to correct that suggestion and set the right context for the difficult decisions that lie ahead by building bridges with the Muslim community," Mr Burnham added. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said the announcements amounted to "rhetoric - rhetoric that may well divide communities and make our job of working with those communities to find and isolate terrorists and potential terrorists that much harder".
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said he was suspicious of counter-terrorism policy being condensed into "easily briefed, tabloid-friendly little headlines". Research from counter-extremism think tank the Quilliam Foundation suggests Islamic State produces 38 unique pieces of propaganda a day.
"What I suspect we're going to get today is rhetoric, rhetoric that may well divide communities and make our job of working with those communities to find and isolate terrorists and potential terrorists that much harder," he said.
Research from counter-extremism think tank the Quilliam Foundation suggests that Islamic State produces 38 unique pieces of propaganda a day.
The Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, meanwhile, has removed more than 110,000 online pieces of extremist propaganda since 2010 and more than 38,000 pieces so far this year.The Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit, meanwhile, has removed more than 110,000 online pieces of extremist propaganda since 2010 and more than 38,000 pieces so far this year.
At least 700 people from the UK have travelled to support or fight for jihadist organisations in Syria and Iraq, British police have estimated.