Prevent referrals surge to record high following Southport murders as almost 1,400 people reported in London

At a glance

• Referrals to the Prevent counter-terrorism programme rose 27% to a record 8,778 in 2024/25, driven by heightened vigilance after the Southport murders

• More than half of all referrals (56%) involved individuals with ‘no ideology,’ while right-wing extremism accounted for 21% and Islamist extremism 10%; children under 18 made up 54% of total cases

• Over a third of referrals involved mental health or neurodiversity factors, with officials warning of insufficient system capacity to manage complex cases

Referrals to the Government’s counter-terrorism programme have surged to a record high following the Southport murders, new data shows.