All wars come to an end – even Putin’s barbaric and insane assault on Ukraine. Of course, the war could have ended quickly and tragically in a Russian victory. But the heroism of Ukraine’s soldiers, the inspirational leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky and the swift deployment of Western weaponry soon halted Putin’s mad dash for Kyiv. […]
What’s the point of a ‘czar’? By this I mean independent experts appointed for a fixed term, usually part time, to provide independent advice to ministers on matters of national importance. The process, at its best, can circumvent Whitehall bureaucracy and risk aversion to make good things happen at speed. Louise Casey is a prime […]
Often, when the story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland is recounted, supporters of violent republicanism like Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are portrayed as peacemakers. In these accounts, it was their influence that caused the IRA to abandon terror and pursue politics. The truth is that the violence really ended thanks to the British […]
Last week, I sat in Portcullis House, the modern addition to the Palace of Westminster opposite Big Ben housing the offices of many of our legislators. After formidable security I waited in a holding pen, keeping company with several police ballistic shields propped against a wall, not far from where a couple of heavily armed […]
Despite all evidence to the contrary, the crisis of Houthi militants threatening shipping in the Red Sea is still seen by many as principally a political one. Some observers have accepted the Houthis’ disingenuous justification that their terrorism is motivated purely Israel’s actions in Gaza. Tell that to the crew of the Strinda, a Norwegian-flagged […]
A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece for CapX on how cybercrime really works, and how human error is at the root of most cyber attacks. In the intervening time we have had Covid, a massive increase in internet use, and a correspondingly massive spike in cybercrime. And for once, ‘massive’ is the […]
A week ago today, the furore over a low value terror suspect slipping out of HMP Wandsworth obscured an important announcement by the Home Secretary on improvements to how we stop people becoming violent extremists in the first place. Suella Braverman made a statement in the House of Commons on progress to implement the recommendations […]
Some qualified good news for residents of London’s W10 and 11 returning to their homes after this year’s Notting Hill Carnival. Westminster council have generously offered to clear their gardens of festival clutter for free! Unfortunately, those returning to an outdoor latrine where their garden flat was are excluded. If that’s your lot, get on […]
Oliver Dowden has been a busy man this week. He’s been all over the studios talking about the first ever public release of the UK’s National Risk Register. This government tome lists and quantifies all the current big threats to the UKs security, how likely they may be and what’s being done to combat them. […]
Is blasphemy a national security threat to the UK? The Henry Jackson Society (HJS) think so. Their soon to be published report, trailed by the Telegraph yesterday, found that Muslim anti-blasphemy preachers imported from Pakistan and Bangladesh had accelerated and toxified the response to perceived insults against Islam. Pakistan’s existing blasphemy laws, made even harsher […]
This week village halls have been projected into the front lines of our battle to control the scourge of terrorism. This will be worrying news to the thousands of volunteers like me across the country who are more used to fighting local government bureaucracy than violent extremists. There has been excitable, not to say sometimes […]
Earlier this month, my organisation, the Counter Extremism Project put on an event to examine how to maintain the momentum of our national counter-radicalisation security strategy ‘Prevent’. The event was a response to an independent government review, which found this strand of our counter-terrorism plan severely wanting. It may surprise readers to know that Prevent […]
On Monday, while the rest of you were dancing around a Maypole, I was considering the latest government proposals to control the influence of violent extremists in prison. It was a curious time to release a set of ‘get tough’ policies, until you consider the text, which was largely an exercise in hopeful sophistry. It […]
Activists were recorded chanting ‘death to the Jews’ and ‘death to Israel’ were recorded at a demonstration in Berlin last week, organised by Samidoun, a group linked to The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The German capital’s authorities have since made moves to forbid the group from holding gatherings in the city. Back on […]
What has cleanliness got to do with national security? More than meets the eye. This week, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons released two separate unannounced inspection reports on two of our highest security prisons – HMP Whitemoor and HMP Long Lartin. Both prisons hold well over 200 Category A prisoners – some of the most […]
We know a depressing amount of information about terrorists who have managed to evade detection and carry out atrocities in this country, mainly through public inquiries and inquests. But what about those who have failed in their crimes? What are we doing with them and why does it matter? Next week sees the publication of […]
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