How Prevent is tackling young extremism 20 years after the 7/7 bombings

Published

4 months ago

July 6, 2025

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Radicalised nine-year-olds, teenagers mixing incel culture with extreme right ideologies and a Muslim who idolises Hitler – this is just some of the casework of those tasked with deradicalising young extremists in the UK.

Monday will mark 20 years since the 7/7 attacks on the London transport network when four suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured 770 others.

A year later the government set up its deradicalisation programme Prevent as part of its counter-terrorism strategy.

Sky News has spoken to two leading intervention providers (IPs) at Prevent who both say their work is getting ever more complex and the referrals younger.

The Metropolitan Police’s Prevent co-ordinator, Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan, has also told Sky News it is “tragic” that when it comes to terrorism, “one in five of all our arrests is a child under 17”.

She believes parents should talk to their children about what they are reading and seeing online.

“Parents instinctively know when something doesn’t feel right when their child is becoming withdrawn or isolated – not wanting to engage,” she says.

People worried that someone they know has thoughts that could lead to terrorism can refer them to Prevent.

‘A pic-n-mix of ideologies’

Home Office figures show 11-year-olds are the largest age group to get referred.

Concerning cases are passed on to IPs such as Nigel Bromage who told Sky News: “Often there will be a pic-n-mix of ideologies.

“From my own examples and experience, we are aware of people looking at the incel culture and mixing that with some far-right elements.”

Incels, meaning “involuntary celibates” are men who have been unable to have a relationship with women despite wanting one and become misogynistic and hateful as a result.

Like many IPs, Mr Bromage from Birmingham comes from an extremist background himself, having once been a regional organiser for the proscribed Neo-Nazi group Combat 18.

For him too, it began as a child.

“It all started with someone giving me a leaflet outside my school gates,” Mr Bromage says.

“It told me a horrific story about a mum getting killed by an IRA bomb explosion – and at the end of the leaflet there was a call to action which said: ‘If you think it’s wrong then do something about it’.”

He developed a hatred for Irish republican terrorism which morphed into general racism and national socialism.

“At the very end I thought I was going to go to prison, or I would end up being hurt or even killed because of my political beliefs,” he says.

Boy, 9, groomed by his brother

Mr Bromage reveals his youngest case was a nine-year-old who had been groomed by his brother.

“He was being shown pro-Nazi video games, and his older brother was saying ‘when I go to prison or I get in trouble – they you’re the next generation – you’re the one who needs to continue the fight’,” he says.

“Really, he had no interest in the racist games – he just wanted to impress his brother and be loved by his brother.”

Every year, nearly 300 children who are 10 or younger are referred to Prevent.

Home Office figures show that over the last six years 50% of referrals were children under the age of 18.

Eleven-year-olds alone make up a third of total referrals, averaging just over 2,000 a year, with the figure rising even higher in the most recent stats.

Another IP, Abdul Ahad, specialises in Islamic extremism.

He says the catalyst for radicalisation often comes from events aboard.

Ten years ago, it was Syria, more recently Gaza.

“It is often a misplaced desire to do something effective – to matter, to make a difference. It gives them purpose, camaraderie and belonging as well – you feel part of something bigger than you,” he says.

Clients want someone to ‘hear them’

Some of his clients “don’t fit into any particular box”.

“I’m working with a guy at the minute, he’s a young Muslim but he idolises Hitler and he’s written a manifesto,” he says.

“When you break it down, some people don’t know where they fit in, but they want to fit in somewhere.”

Mr Ahad says the young individual mostly admires Hitler’s “strength” rather than his ideologies and that he was drawn to darker characters in history.

Often his clients are very isolated and just want someone to “hear them”, he adds.

Mr Ahad is also an imam who preaches at the Al-Azar Mosque in South Shields, a well-regarded centre for community cohesion and outreach.

He uses his understanding of the Islamic faith in his Prevent sessions to help guide his referrals away from extreme interpretations of the Koran by offering “understanding and context”.

He says: “We quote the correct religious texts – we explain their responsibility as a Muslim living in the UK and we re-direct their energies into something more constructive.”

Common theme of mental health issues

Mental health problems are a common theme among those referred to Prevent including depression and autism.

A recent inquest into the death of autistic teenager Rhianan Rudd found she took her own life after being radicalised by two white supremacists.

Her mother was critical of Prevent, as well as the police and MI5 after she had referred her daughter to the deradicalisation programme and Rhianan was subsequently charged with terrorism offences.

Last month a coroner found some failings in the processes around protecting Rhianan, but none of them attributable to Rhianan taking her own life.

Det Supt Corrigan says a referral doesn’t mean individuals end up being arrested or on an MI5 watchlist.

She says: “You’re not reporting a crime, but you are seeking support. I would say the earlier you can come in and talk to us about the concerns you have the better. Prevent is just that – it is a pre-criminal space.

“It’s tragic when you see the number of young people being arrested for very serious charges. Just look at terrorism – one in five of all our arrests is a child under the age of 17. We need to think about how we respond to that.”

Prevent has been criticised for failures such as when Southport killer Axel Rudakabana failed to be recognised as needing intervention despite three referrals, or when MP David Amiss’ killer Ali Harbi Ali went through the programme and killed anyway.

It’s harder to quantify its successes.

Mr Ahad says he understands why the failures hit the headlines, but he believes the programme is saving lives.

He says: “I think the vast majority of people get radicalised online because they are sitting in their room reading all this content without any context or scholarly input. They see one version of events and they get so far down the rabbit hole they can’t pull themselves out.

“I really wish Prevent was around when I was a young, lost 15-year-old because there was nothing around then. It’s about listening to people engaging with them and offering them a way of getting out of that extremism.”

‘Radicalisation can happen in days to weeks’

Det Supt Corrigan says: “I’ve sat with parents whose children have gone on to commit the most horrendous crimes and they all spotted something.

“Now, with hindsight, they wished they had done something or acted early. That’s why we created this programme, because radicalisation can happen in days to weeks.”

Twenty years on from 7/7 the shape of the terrorist threat has shifted, the thoughts behind it harder to categorise, but it is no less dangerous.

UK

Starmer and Reeves hint at tax rises to come ahead of unusual pre-budget speech today

Published

2 hours ago

November 4, 2025

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Starmer and Reeves hint at tax rises to come ahead of unusual pre-budget speech today

Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have hinted at tax rises to come when the chancellor delivers the budget later this month.

In a Downing Street speech this morning, Ms Reeves will address “speculation” that an increase in income tax will be announced during the highly-anticipated statement on 26 November.

Politics Hub: Follow chancellor’s speech live

Sky News political editor Beth Rigby said it was “highly unusual” for the chancellor to make such a speech, but the Treasury believes she must “try to prepare the ground and make the argument for another big tax-raising budget”.

“I will make the choices necessary to deliver strong foundations for our economy – for this year, and years to come,” Ms Reeves will say.

Last night, Sir Keir gave Labour MPs a taste of what’s to come by warning of the need for “tough but fair” decisions.

Speaking at a party meeting in Westminster, he said the budget “takes place against a difficult economic backdrop”.

“It’s becoming clearer the long-term impact of Tory austerity, their botched Brexit deal and the pandemic on Britain’s productivity is worse than even we feared,” the prime minister said.

“Faced with that, we will make the tough but fair decisions to renew our country and build it for the long term.”

Starmer and Reeves know how hard this is going to be

I don’t need to tell you how difficult and contested this is going to be.

Only a year ago, the chancellor unveiled the biggest tax-raising budget since 1993 and said it was a “once in a parliament event”.

MPs will be fearing a massive backlash should manifesto promises on not raising income tax (and VAT and national insurance) for working people be broken.

Government figures know how hard it’s going to be but argue the chancellor has to level with the public about the hard choices ahead and what is driving her decision-making.

It comes after Sir Keir refused to confirm at Prime Minister’s Questions last week that the budget would honour his party’s manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.

Having raised taxes in last year’s budget, notably national insurance on employers, Ms Reeves has also previously promised not to “come back for more” during this parliament.

The PM and chancellor’s warnings come after reports suggested the Office for Budget Responsibility is expected to downgrade its productivity growth forecast for the UK by about 0.3 percentage points.

That would leave Ms Reeves with a larger than expected fiscal black hole to fill, possibly up to £30bn.

She is said to be considering a proposal from The Resolution Foundation, a left-leaning thinktank close to the government, to raise income tax by 2p but cut national insurance by the same amount.

The thinktank, which used to be headed by Torsten Bell, a Labour MP who is now a key aide to Ms Reeves and a pensions minister, said the move would raise vital cash while protecting working people.

Reeves to prioritise NHS and cost of living

Giving a further flavour of what to expect, Ms Reeves will this morning vow to make “important choices that will shape our economy for years to come”.

“It is important that people understand the circumstances we are facing, the principles guiding my choices – and why I believe they will be the right choices for the country,” she will add.

Ms Reeves will say her priorities are cutting national debt, easing the cost of living and protecting the NHS.

“It will be a budget led by this government’s values,” she’s set to say.

“Of fairness and opportunity and focused squarely on the priorities of the British people: protecting our NHS, reducing our national debt and improving the cost of living.”

UK

Man charged with 11 counts of attempted murder over mass train stabbing and another attack at station hours earlier

Published

14 hours ago

November 3, 2025

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Man charged with 11 counts of attempted murder over mass train stabbing and another attack at station hours earlier

A 32-year-old man has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder after a mass stabbing on a high-speed train.

Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough, was arrested on Saturday evening following an attack on the Doncaster to London King’s Cross LNER service.

He has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article following a knife attack on a train in Cambridgeshire on Saturday, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

BTP said he has also been charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection with an incident on a London train in the early hours of 1 November.

Police said a victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked at 12.46am with a knife on a train at Pontoon Dock station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in east London.

In a statement to Sky News, BTP said the suspect had left the location before police arrived and officers subsequently identified Williams as a suspect.

Williams will appear at Peterborough Magistrates on Monday morning, police said.

Armed police were deployed to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, where the train was stopped and made the arrest within eight minutes of the first 999 call.

Footage of the arrest has emerged, showing a man on the ground surrounded by officers and a barking police dog, with the sound of a Taser being deployed.

Another man, 35, from London, who was also detained, was later released after officers established he was not involved.

On Monday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Sky News that one man, originally suffering life-threatening injuries, was now in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

She told Mornings with Ridge and Frost programme: “He went in to do his job, and he left work a hero. And there are people who are alive today because of his actions and his bravery.”

On Sunday, British Transport Police (BTP) confirmed he was a member of LNER rail staff who tried to stop the attacker.

“Having viewed the CCTV from the train, the actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives,” said BTP Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Stuart Cundy.

The train driver, named as Andrew Johnson, has also been hailed as “courageous” for his actions during the stabbings.

Following the announcement about the charges on Monday, DCC Cundy warned against anyone interfering with their ongoing investigation.

“Our investigation is also looking at other possible linked offences. Following the charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) I would stress the importance of not saying or publishing anything which might jeopardise or prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings, or the integrity of the investigation.”

Ms Alexander also told Sky News that BTP would be “increasing the visible patrols at stations” over the next few days.

“But generally, our trains are some of the most safest forms of public transport anywhere in the world,” she added.

Tracy Easton, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Direct, said: “Our team of out-of-hours prosecutors worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We worked closely with British Transport Police to review a huge volume of evidence including CCTV. The number of charges will be kept under review as this continues to progress.

“We know the devastating impact the events on Saturday’s train has had and how the incident shocked the entire country. Our thoughts remain with all those affected.”

UK

Pregnant British teenager held on drugs charges freed from Georgian jail

Published

16 hours ago

November 3, 2025

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Pregnant British teenager held on drugs charges freed from Georgian jail

A pregnant British teenager has been released from jail in Georgia after being held on drug smuggling charges.

Bella May Culley, 19, of Billingham, County Durham, was arrested in May at Tbilisi Airport and accused of attempting to smuggle 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish into the country.

She was found guilty by a Georgian court on Monday and sentenced to five months and 25 days in prison, the total time she had already spent in custody. Her family also paid a 500,000 lari (about £138,000) as part of a plea deal aimed at reducing her sentence.

Culley and her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, both cried as the verdict was read.

Wearing a cream blazer, the teenager looked overwhelmed as she was released from custody on Monday.

Asked how she felt, she said she was “happy” and told reporters she did not expect to be freed.

Culley’s mother held her daughter’s hand as she was released.

Georgian prosecutors were considering a two-year sentence, but “decided to consider the time she has already served,” case prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalughelashvili told The Associated Press.

Culley’s lawyer, Malkhaz Salakhaia, said she would be given her passport and would be free to leave the country on Monday.

The teenager pleaded not guilty to the charges after her arrest, saying she was tortured in Thailand and forced to carry the drugs.

Culley initially pleaded not guilty at a hearing in July to possession and trafficking illegal drugs.

She initially faced a maximum penalty of up to 15 years or life imprisonment, but was in talks with prosecutors about a potential plea bargain.

In Georgia, a nation of 3.7 million in the South Caucasus, the law allows for financial plea agreements that can be reached to reduce or eliminate a prison sentence in certain cases.

Such plea agreements are often obtained in drug-related cases.

Culley was reported missing in Thailand before her arrest at Tbilisi Airport on May 10.