A host of measures to tackle extremism at universities and in the charity sector have been unveiled in a push for “social cohesion” between communities in the UK.
The government is launching a new action plan in an effort to highlight what people have “in common” and strengthen social ties in Britain.
Among the measures announced are plans to give the Charity Commission extra powers to close down charities found to be promoting extremism, and the development of a whistleblowing route for university staff to raise issues.
The plan also includes measures to tackle religious hatred and the publication of an annual ‘State of Extremism’ report.
Communities minister Steve Reed said the plan will work to promote “the shared values that unite us as a nation” and work to “unite people around love of their local area”.
“There are so many forces in the world that want to pull communities apart when in reality we have so much more in common,” he added.
“The UK is a multi-ethnic, diverse society and we should celebrate each other’s cultures and traditions and the shared values that unite us as a nation.
“We must listen to people’s concerns about growing divisions and take action to bring our communities back together.”
Deputy prime minister David Lammy said the government is “clear-eyed about the forces that have been driving division and hate in our society”.
“This plan heralds a patriotic renewal of our communities and the bonds within them – a driving mission for this government,” he said. “Communities don’t grow stronger and closer by accident – they need support to thrive.”
The action plan, called ‘Protecting What Matters’, is due to be published on Monday afternoon.
The government has announced an extra £5 million boost for the Common Ground Resilience Fund, building on £5.8 billion previously committed through the Pride in Place programme.
Last week, it was reported that plans for the creation of an “anti-Muslim hostility” tsar were also expected to be unveiled as part of the government’s social cohesion strategy.
A leaked draft of the proposals suggested a “special representative” role will be introduced to “champion efforts across the UK to tackle hostility and hatred directed at Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim”.
The plan will include measures to tackle religious hatred and racial discrimination and clamp down on extremism in charities and universities.
The Charity Commission will be given the powers to close down charities found to be promoting extremism, with officials working to speed up the process for investigating organisations.
Since October 2023, the Charity Commission has opened over 400 regulatory cases for hate speech and made around 70 referrals to police where criminal offences may have been committed.
Further measures under consideration include mandatory trustee ID verification, the digitisation of charity accounts, and a strengthening of local authority powers to issue fines and take other enforcement action to tackle unlicensed street fundraising.
In British universities, the Office for Students will strengthen how it monitors whether universities are meeting Prevent responsibilities. Where universities fail to meet their legal duties, the regulator has powers to intervene, including imposing sanctions or ultimately removing providers from the register.
The government said it will work to make the Office for Students a whistleblowing body for registered higher education providers. It will also work with students to co-design the Campus Cohesion Charter, setting clearer expectations around conduct, respect and shared values across university life.
Responding to the plan, shadow minister Sir James Cleverly suggested the government is “too weak to take the action actually required”.
“After the Gorton and Denton by-election it’s clear Labour would rather pander to the extremes than confront the difficult causes of growing separatism in Britain,” he said.
“As Kemi Badenoch made clear last week, people who come to Britain should join our shared national culture, not live apart from it.”
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