MP’s critical over government’s counter-extremism plans

The government’s counter-extremism plan has received criticism from MPs who have claimed the move is unlikely to make children safer. Part of the proposals, which will see Ofsted inspectors sent into church youth groups to look for signs of children becoming radicalised, have been highly opposed by church leaders and voluntary groups. Cameron has responded to some of the concerns by claiming that inspectors will not have free powers to regulate such groups but will focus on vetting activities undertaken by children for over six hours per week. According to a ComRes poll of 150 MPs, there are still concerns that government officials will be unable to specifically define what constitutes as ‘hateful and extremist views that undermine British values’. The poll found that 25 per cent of MPs indicated that they thought the proposals would enhance public safety, while a similar number believed the move would not make a difference. Two thirds of MPs who responded claimed the plans were too widely drawn and should be scaled back, with more than half warning that the Ofsted checks could threaten legitimate and reasonable activities. Colin Hart, director of The Christian Institute which was responsible for commissioning the poll, claimed the plan in its current form represented an ‘unprecedented attack on the freedom of religion’ in the UK. He said: “It is clear from this poll that MPs, far from being fully supportive as Education Secretary Nicky Morgan would have us believe, are actually widely concerned about these draconian proposals. “They recognise that the extension of these meddling and intrusive inspections will have a serious effect on many small community groups, such as bell ringers, sports and youth clubs, scouts and guides even amateur dramatics. These measures will almost certainly force some of them to close.”