Dangerous hate preachers spewing vile extremism in our
communities could be blocked from entering the UK, the government
has announced today.
A new taskforce has been set up as part of government action to
clamp down on hate and protect the British public. Spanning
expertise from the Home Office, Foreign Commonwealth and
Development Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing
and Communities, the taskforce will identify prominent extremists
overseas who could pose a risk to public safety in the UK.
Hate preachers and extremists will be automatically referred to
the Home Office for immigration action, including the
cancellation or refusal of visas, should they attempt to travel
to the UK.Information will be gathered using our Embassy network
and using open-source intelligence expertise.
The government will also work in communities across the UK to
build a picture of prominent overseas extremists who intend to
travel to this country.
UK-based organisations attempting to sponsor visas for dangerous
individuals may also face having their sponsorship licence
revoked, meaning they can no longer request visas.
By taking this more proactive approach, the government will be
able to refuse more visas to dangerous individuals intent on
spreading extremism, stopping them from entering the UK.
Home Secretary said:
“The UK already has some of the most sophisticated mechanisms for
stopping foreign extremists from entering the UK, but
since 7th October it has become clear that
we must do more.
“That is why we are establishing a new joint taskforce with the
FCDO and DLUHC to bolster our approach to tackling foreign
extremists and prevent them coming to the UK to spread their vile
narratives.”
This work follows on from the Prime Minister's speech on
extremism and his commitment to act to prevent people
from entering the country who seek to undermine our shared
values.
Foreign Secretary said:
“It is easier than ever for extremists around the world to spread
poisonous, extremist ideologies from afar.
“It is therefore right that we use our international expertise
and partnerships to fight back against those determined to sow
division and to stop them coming to the UK, as we work to uphold
the core British values of freedom, democracy, and respect for
the rule of law.”
Security Minister said:
“There's no place in the UK for foreign nationals who spread hate
and promote extremist ideologies. This taskforce will deliver a
step-change in our ability to identify these hateful individuals,
and stop them from ever reaching our border.
“We will not apologise for defending our country's fundamental
values and principles. This new taskforce will help to do exactly
that.”
To protect the public from extremists already in the country, a
new dedicated reporting route will be launched across the Prevent
network to report foreign nationals who are sowing division and
spreading hate in communities to the Home Office, potentially
having them removed from the country.
This will mean the government casts its net far and wide to
identify anyone promoting extremist narratives and refer them for
immigration action, working across organisations delivering on
the ground in communities – including schools, colleges,
universities, health settings, police forces and Local
Authorities.
As the Prime Minister has said earlier in the year, on too many
occasions recently our streets have been hijacked by small groups
who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our
democratic traditions. Today's announcement builds on the
government's commitment to tackle extremism following an
unprecedented rise in antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, as
well as protests outside MPs' homes since 7th October.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Individuals identified by the taskforce will be assessed on a
case-by-case basis and action will be taken where appropriate.
- Under the Immigration Rules existing entry clearance and
permission to enter or stay must be cancelled, and an application
for entry clearance or permission must be refused if the person's
presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.
- The Home Secretary has a broad power to exclude an individual
from the UK on the basis that their exclusion from the UK would
be conducive to the public good. Exclusion is normally reserved
for cases involving national security, extremism, serious crime,
international crimes (including crimes against humanity) and
unacceptable behaviour.
- All such decisions are taken following careful consideration
of the specific facts of the case.
- The UK has previously denied entry to extremists whose
presence in the UK would threaten community relations or cause
community tensions.
