Michael Gove names far-right and Islamist groups which could fall under fresh extremism definition
Michael Gove has named five groups that will be re-assessed as a result of the government’s new definition of extremism.
Speaking in the Commons, the communities secretary said two far-right organisations – the British National Socialist Movement and the Patriotic Alternative – and three Islamist organisations – the Muslim Association of Britain, Cage and Mend – were groups “we should be concerned” about.
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Speaking after the government announced the new definition of extremism this morning, the minister said it was “critically important we do not unwittingly or through ignorance fund or support organisations who are themselves extremist” as it had been the case in the past that “extremist groups and actors have sought to present themselves as moderate voices representative of majority or mainstream opinion”.
Mr Gove also sought to reassure critics the plan was “in no way intending to restrict freedom of expression, religion or belief”, saying gender critical campaigners, trans activists, those with conservative religious views and environmental protest groups would not be included.
But, he added: “The government cannot be in a position where, unwittingly or not, we sponsor, subsidise or support in any way organisations or individuals opposed to the freedoms we hold dear.”
Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, agreed that “hateful extremism threatens the safety of our communities and the unity of our country,” and was “a serious problem which demands a serious response”.
But she criticised how long it had taken the government to act since their last definition was introduced in 2011, and said it was “deeply concerning” that extremists had already “benefited from government engagement, endorsement and support”.
Ms Rayner also raised concerns about how the announcement had been trailed, with leaks detailing organisations that could face reassessment after the definition came into force.
Mr Gove revealed an investigation into the leaks had been launched, saying it was “fundamentally a challenge to the effective operation of government”.
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Extremism redefinition will ‘risk more division’, say Muslim activists
The new definition described extremism as “the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance” that aims to “negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others” or “undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights”.
It also includes those who “intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve” either of those aims.
The update came as part of a ministerial drive to clamp down on the Islamist and far-right extremism that has intensified in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
But some critics have raised concerns that it could have a “chilling effect” on free speech, while others say it doesn’t go far enough and there needs to be a change in the law to tackle extremism.
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Labour’s Darren Jones: ‘We need more than a definition’
Mr Gove pointed to five specific groups that would come in for further scrutiny now the new definition is in place.
After warning the “activities of the extreme right-wing are a growing worry”, the minister said: “Across this House, I am sure that we would agree that organisations such as the British National Socialist Movement and Patriotic Alternative, who promote neo-Nazi ideology, argue for forced repatriation, a white ethno state and the targeting of minority groups by intimidation, are precisely the type of groups about which we should be concerned and whose activities we will assess against the new definition.”
And after saying the religion of Islam should not be confused with the “totalitarian ideology” of Islamists, he added: “Organisations such as the Muslim Association of Britain, which is the British affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, and other groups such as Cage and Mend, give rise to concern for the Islamist orientation and views.
“We will be holding these and other organisations to account, to assess if they meet our definition of extremism and will take action as appropriate.”
Mr Gove confirmed there would be a new “centre of excellence” on counterterrorism created within the Home Office, promising it would become a “world-leading authority” on the issue.
The minister added: “The liberties that we hold dear and indeed the democratic principles we are all sent here to uphold, requires us to counter and challenge the extremists who seek to intimidate, coerce and to divide.
“We have to be clear-eyed about the threat we face, precise about where that threat comes from and rigorous in defending our democracy.
“That means upholding freedom of expression, religion and belief when we are threatened, facing down harassment and hate, supporting the communities facing the greatest challenge from extremist activity and ensuring this House and this country are safe, free and united.”
The prime minister’s official spokesperson confirmed a full list of organisations covered by the government’s new extremism would be published “in the coming weeks”.
But Labour wants ministers to also update its full counter-extremism strategy and its action plan on hate crime.
Ms Rayner told MPs: “We need much stronger action to tackle the corrosive forms of hatred that devastate lives and corrode communities.
“But today’s statement does not go far enough. And regardless of how workable and effective this new definition and centre of excellence is, this announcement will not be enough.”
Tory MPs also voiced their concerns, with former immigration minister Robert Jenrick saying: “I fear that the definition, though well-intentioned, lands in no man’s land – not going far enough to tackle the real extremists, not doing enough to protect the non-extremists, those people who are simply expressing contrarian views who might find this definition used against them, not perhaps now, but possibly in the future.”
Fellow Conservative Sir Edward Leigh also said he was worried the definition was “going to add to the increasing culture, in what should be a free country, of the intolerance of the right to offend”.
The government will fund any further local inquiries into the grooming gangs scandal that are deemed necessary, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
However, the prime minister said it is his “strong belief” that the focus must be on implementing recommendations from the Alexis Jay national review before more investigations go ahead.
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It follows a row over whether Labour is still committed to the five local inquiries it promised in January, after safeguarding minister Jess Phillips failed to provide an update on them in a statement to parliament hours before it closed for recess on Tuesday.
Sir Keir Starmer joins police officers on patrol in Cambridgeshire. Pic: PA
Instead, Ms Phillips told MPs that local authorities will be able to access a £5m fund to support locally-led work on grooming gangs.
On Thursday morning, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper insisted the “victim-centred, locally-led inquiries” will still go ahead, while a Home Office source told Sky News more could take place in addition to the five.
Speaking to Sky News’ Rob Powell later on Thursday, Sir Keir confirmed that there could be more inquiries than those five but said the government must also “get on and implement the recommendations we’ve already got”.
The prime minister said: “Of course, if there’s further local inquiries that are needed then we will put some funding behind that, and they should happen.
“But I don’t think that simply saying we need more inquiries when we haven’t even acted on the ones that we’ve had is necessarily the only way forward.”
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Yvette Cooper speaks to Sky News
Ms Phillips’s earlier comments led to accusations that the government was diluting the importance of the local inquiries by giving councils choice over how to use the funds.
Sky News understands she was due to host a briefing with MPs this afternoon at 5pm – the second she had held in 24 hours – in an attempt to calm concern amongst her colleagues.
Review recommendations ‘sat on a shelf’
Sir Keir insisted he is not watering down his commitment for the five local enquiries, but said the Jay recommendations were “sitting on a shelf under the last government” and he is “equally committed” to them.
He added: “At the most important level, if there is evidence of grooming that is coming to light now, we need a criminal investigation. I want the police investigation because I want perpetrators in the dock and I want justice delivered.”
In October 2022, Professor Alexis Jay finished a seven-year national inquiry into the many ways children in England and Wales had been sexually abused, including grooming gangs.
Girls as young as 11 were groomed and raped across a number of towns and cities in England over a decade ago.
Prof Jay made 20 recommendations which haven’t been implemented yet, with Sir Keir saying on Thursday he will bring 17 of them forward.
However, the Tories and Reform UK want the government to fund a new national inquiry specifically into grooming gangs, demands for which first started last year after interventions by tech billionaire Elon Musk on his social media platform X.
Elon Musk has been critical of Labour’s response to grooming gangs and has called for a national inquiry. Pic: Reuters
‘Fuelling confusion’
Reform leader Nigel Farage said the statement made by Ms Phillips “was one of the most cowardly things I have ever seen” as he repeated calls for a fresh inquiry.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, also told Sky News that ministers were “fuelling confusion” and that the “mess.. could have been avoided if the government backed a full national inquiry – not this piecemeal alternative”.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the government needed to look at “state failings” and she would try and force a fresh vote on holding another national inquiry, which MPs voted down in January.
‘Political mess’
As well as facing criticism from the Opposition, there are signs of a backlash within Labour over how the issue has been handled.
Labour MPs angry with government decision grooming gangs
With about an hour until the House of Commons rose for Easter recess, the government announced it was taking a more “flexible” approach to the local grooming gang inquiries.
Safeguarding minister Jess Philips argued this was based on experience from certain affected areas, and that the government is funding new police investigations to re-open historic cases.
Speaking on Times Radio, former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Sir Trevor Phillips called the move “utterly shameful” and claimed it was a political decision.
One Labour MP told Sky News: “Some people are very angry. I despair. I don’t disagree with many of our decisions but we just play to Reform – someone somewhere needs sacking.”
The government has insisted party political misinformation was fanning the flames of frustration in Labour.
The government also said it was not watering down the inquiries and was actually increasing the action being taken.
But while many Labour MPs have one eye on Reform in the rearview mirror, any accusations of being soft on grooming gangs only provides political ammunition to their adversaries.
One Labour MP told Sky News the issue had turned into a “political mess” and that they were being called “grooming sympathisers”.
On the update from Ms Phillips on Tuesday, they said it might have been the “right thing to do” but that it was “horrible politically”.
“We are all getting so much abuse. It’s just political naivety in the extreme.”
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‘We will leave no stone unturned’
Ms Phillips later defended her decision, saying there was “far too much party political misinformation about the action that is being taken when everyone should be trying to support victims and survivors”.
“We are funding new police investigations to re-open historical cases, providing national support for locally led inquiries and action, and Louise Casey… is currently reviewing the nature, scale and ethnicity of grooming gangs offending across the country,” she said.
“We will not hesitate to go further, unlike the previous government, who showed no interest in this issue over 14 years and did nothing to progress the recommendations from the seven-year national inquiry when they had the chance.
“We will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of justice for victims and will be unrelenting in our crackdown on sick predators and perpetrators who prey on vulnerable children.”
Politics
Kemi Badenoch denies supporting local coalitions but says leaders must ‘do what they need to do’
Elected councillors must “do what they need to do” to serve the people, Kemi Badenoch said after she suggested Reform and the Tories could form alliances at a local level.
The Conservative leader said that while she doesn’t actively support council coalitions, she is ultimately leaving the decision to local politicians “because they can’t have a re-election if they don’t have an outright majority”.
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However, she said that at a national level “we’re trying to rebuild trust with the public” and “suddenly saying that we’re rushing to form a pact or merge with another party is not what I was elected to do”.
Ms Badenoch was speaking during a local election visit to Lancashire after earlier comments about local coalitions were attacked by opposition parties.
She has consistently ruled out a pact at a national level with Reform UK, whose leader Nigel Farage has vowed to “destroy” the Tories.
But speaking to BBC Breakfast on Thursday, she suggested the picture could be different at a local level, saying: “I’ve seen Conservatives go into coalition with Labour, with Liberal Democrats, with Independents.
“What I’m telling local leaders across the country (is) they have to do what is right for the people in their local area and they must stick to Conservative principles.”
Nigel Farage has vowed to destroy the Tories. Pic: PA
Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said it is “crystal clear” that if you vote Reform or Conservative, “you’re opening the door to more of the Tory chaos that held our country back over the past 14 years”.
Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the two parties had “merged in all but name”, adding: “You couldn’t put a cigarette paper between Badenoch and Farage when it comes to their policies. It’s clear the Conservatives have totally abandoned the centre ground.”
Reform meanwhile snubbed the offer, saying they are “not interested in coalitions” and are focused on “taking the fight to Labour and the Conservatives”.
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‘Outrageous’ welfare budget
Ms Badenoch later insisted she is “‘not supporting coalitions at a local level”.
She told reporters: “I am leaving the decision to local leaders because they can’t have a re-election if they don’t have an outright majority.
“And it’s right that they do what they need to do to serve the people of a community. These local elections are not opinion polls.”
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Labour have been ‘crushing disappointment’, say Greens at campaign launch
The Tories face an uphill battle at the local elections on 1 May, with polling suggesting the party is yet to recover from its catastrophic general election defeat in July.
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Latest YouGov polling for Sky News’ Sam and Anne’s podcast put Labour marginally in the lead, followed by Reform and then the Tories.
The Lib Dems were fourth but their 17 points was the highest level of support they’ve had since 2017.
The Tories are defending more than half of the seats up for election, having won them in 2021 thanks in part to a Covid-19 vaccine polling bounce.
Votes will take place in 23 of England’s 317 local authorities, and there will also be a by-election in Runcorn following the resignation of Labour’s Mike Amesbury, who last month was given a suspended prison sentence for punching a man.
Senior Tory MP Esther McVey has previously said the Tories should “let Reform win” in Runcorn as part of an electoral pact, but Ms Badenoch today said: “That’s absolutely the wrong thing.”
She added: “We need to make sure that people always have the option to vote Conservative, and that’s the message that I’m taking out for these local government elections on May 1.”
Escalating geopolitical tensions threaten to balkanize blockchain networks and restrict users’ access, crypto executives told Cointelegraph.
On April 9, US President Donald Trump announced a pause in the rollout of tariffs imposed on certain countries — but the prospect of a global trade war still looms, especially because Trump still wants to charge a 125% levy on Chinese imports.
Industry executives said they fear a litany of potential consequences if tensions worsen, including disruptions to blockchain networks’ physical infrastructure, regulatory fragmentation, and censorship.
“Aggressive tariffs and retaliatory trade policies could create obstacles for node operators, validators, and other core participants in blockchain networks,” Nicholas Roberts-Huntley, CEO of Concrete & Glow Finance, told Cointelegraph.
“In moments of global uncertainty, the infrastructure supporting crypto, not just the assets themselves, can become collateral damage.”
According to data from CoinMarketCap, cryptocurrency’s total market capitalization dropped approximately 4% on April 10 as traders weighed conflicting messages from the White House on tariffs amid a backdrop of macroeconomic unease.
Crypto’s market cap retraced on April 10. Source: CoinMarketCap
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Bitcoin’s vulnerabilities
Bitcoin (BTC) is especially vulnerable to a trade war since the network depends on specialized hardware for Bitcoin mining, such as the ASIC chips used to solve the network’s cryptographic proofs.
“Tariffs disrupt established ASIC supply chains,” David Siemer, CEO of Wave Digital Assets, told Cointelegraph. Chinese manufacturers such as Bitmain are key suppliers for miners.
However, “the greater threat is the erosion of blockchain’s core value proposition—its global, permissionless infrastructure,” Siemer said. This could be especially problematic for everyday crypto holders.
“If global trade breaks down and capital controls tighten, it may become harder for citizens in restrictive countries to acquire bitcoin,” said Joe Kelly, CEO of Unchained. “Governments could crack down on exchanges and on-ramps, making accumulation and usage more difficult,” Kelly added.
Bitcoin’s performance versus stocks. Source: 21Shares
Ironically, these types of fears also underscore the importance of cryptocurrencies and decentralized blockchain networks, the executives said.
Bitcoin has already shown “signs of resilience” amid the market turbulence, highlighting the coin’s role in hedging against geopolitical risks.
“While the environment is challenging, it also creates an opening for crypto to prove its long-term value and utility on the global stage,” noted Fireblocks’ executive Neil Chopra.
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