Yvette Cooper to reject call to widen definition of extremism
Yvette Cooper to reject call to widen definition of extremism
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Yvette Cooper is expected to reject Government advice to widen the definition of extremism to cover environmentalists, the far left, and men prejudiced against women. The Home Secretary does not agree with the findings of the “rapid analytical sprint on extremism” she commissioned in August following the riots sparked by the Southport murders.
The report leaked to Policy Exchange suggested the UK’s approach to extremism should be based on concerning behaviours and activity rather than ideologies. Those include spreading misinformation, influencing racism, and involvement in “an online subculture called the manosphere”, according to the right-leaning think tank.
The Government should expand extremism’s definition to cover environmental extremists, the far left, anarchists, conspiracy theorists, and others, the report also says. But ministers are set to continue with a focus on Islamist and far-right extremism.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The counter extremism sprint sought to comprehensively assess the challenge facing our country and lay the foundations for a new approach to tackling extremism – so we can stop people being drawn towards hateful ideologies.
“This includes tackling Islamism and Extreme Right Wing ideologies, which are the most prominent today. “The findings from the sprint have not been formally agreed by ministers and we are considering a wide range of potential next steps arising from that work.”.
