Britons who hold fears about two-tier policing peddle an “extremist narrative”, a leaked Home Office document shared with GB News has claimed.
The People’s Channel was sent a copy of the Home Office’s Rapid Analytical Sprint by the think tank Policy Exchange.
The document, which is looking to determine the UK’s future counter-extremism policy, directly addresses concerns about two-tier policing.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick have been among the most promiment politicians calling for an end to so-called two-tier policing, particularly when it comes to the grooming gangs scandal and the handling of pro-Palestine protesters.
A stock image of a police officer
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However, the Home Office document said that “claims of two-tier policing” are a “right-wing extremist narrative”, adding that grooming gangs are an “alleged” problem “frequently exploit[ed]” by the far-right.
The Sprint, led by the Home Office, was launched in August 2024 by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Cooper said it would “map and monitor extremist trends” and “understand the evidence about what works” to “underpin a new strategic approach to countering extremism from Government”.
The leaked document also controversially de-prioritises Islamism despite such extremism being responsible for 94 per cent of all terrorist deaths in Britain since 1999.
It looks to focus on other forms of “extremism”, including misogyny, violence against women and girls, “spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories” and the “online subculture called the manosphere”.
The Sprint also recommended the creation of a “dedicated national investigations capability” to “co-ordinate and take on protest and low-level extremism operations and investigations” and a digital “national centre of excellence for the monitoring and disruption of protest”.
Other recommendations include introducing a new crime of making “harmful communications” which cause “psychological harm” or offence.
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Paul Stott and Andrew Gilligan, who co-authored Policy Exchange’s Extremely Confused report, told GB News: “Many of these supposed other extremisms simply do not meet the test of harming national security or safety.
“Government should certainly be alarmed by, and should tackle, violence against women and other social harms – but they do not constitute extremism as defined up till now.
“This new approach risks swamping already stretched counter-extremism interveners and counter-terror police with tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of new cases, making it more likely that dangerous people will be missed.
“Some of the definitions of extremism are also threaten free speech, defining aspects of normal and legitimate political debate as extremist.”
Directly addressing the Home Office document’s comments about grooming gangs, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “I’m appalled that the Government is once again smearing as “far right” those who raise concerns about young girls being gang raped.
“By extending the definition of extremism so widely, the Government risks losing focus on ideologically motivated terrorists who pose the most risk to life.”
He added: “What the Government seems to be planning is a backwards step in the interests of the political correctness we know Keir Starmer loves. Starmer wants the thought police to stop anyone telling uncomfortable truths that he and his left-wing lawyer friends don’t like.”
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick also told GB News: “We’ve got to follow the facts here. Of course, violence against women and girls, and some of the other issues raised in this report are important and warrant attention by the police and the authorities.
“But the facts of these, in the last 25 years, 95 per cent of all the terrorist deaths in this country have been Islamist related and 80 per cent of all the referrals to the police.
“When it comes to how do we use the scarce resources of the police or programmes like Prevent of our security services, we’ve got to be honest and realistic and not allow political correctness to get in the way.”
Speaking to the People’s Channel, Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe added: “Look at the pro-Palestine marches in London. They were tolerated.
“The Black Lives Matter marches were tolerated. Whereas, people were locked up for going out and driving in the Welsh hills during the Covid lockdown.
“I don’t think there is any doubt about it, two-tier policing exists. With regard to the grooming gangs, or as I call them, the Pakistani rape gangs, there’s definitely an issue there where the police have been guided by politicians, probably to look the other way.”
However, a Home Office spokesman said: “The counter-extremism Sprint sought to comprehensively assess the challenge facing our country and lay the foundations for a new approach to tackling extremism – so we can stop people being drawn towards hateful ideologies.
“This includes tackling Islamism and Extreme Right Wing ideologies, which are the most prominent today.
“The findings from the Sprint have not been formally agreed by Ministers and we are considering a wide range of potential next steps arising from that work.”
Security Minister Dan Jarvis later confirmed that Ministers have since rejected the advice.
Jarvis said: “Ministers have rejected this advice. As we have said repeatedly Islamist extremism followed by far-right extremism are the biggest threats we face.
“The Home Secretary set out last week our plans to carry out an end-to-end review of Prevent thresholds on Islamist extremism because we are concerned that referrals are too low.
“Ideology, particularly Islamist extremism followed by far right extremism, continue to be at the heart of our approach to countering extremism and counter terror.
“But as the horrific Southport attack shows, alongside that we also need more action on those drawn towards mixed ideologies and violent obsessed young people.”