Published on
A record number of people have been referred to an anti-terrorism programme in England and Wales, the UK Home Office has announced.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Official data released on Thursday showed that from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, a total of 10,293 referrals were made to the government’s Prevent programme, up 39% compared to the year prior and marking the highest number of referrals over a 12-month period since records started in April 2015.
The Prevent Scheme
Prevent is an early intervention scheme designed to stop people turning to terrorism.
According to the Home Office, a Prevent referral is made to police “when there are concerns that a person may be susceptible to radicalisation or could be at risk of becoming involved in or supporting terrorism.”
Prevent referrals do not lead to a criminal record and are instead about “safeguarding” those at risk of radicalisation and helping protect the public, the ministry says.
The new data shows that the highest number of referrals for the year ending September 2025 were due to concerns over “extreme right-wing” views, making up around 20% of all referrals. That figure was up around 42% compared with the previous 12 months.
Referrals for “Islamist extremism,” by contrast, accounted for 8% of total referrals, although the report noted that Islamist terrorism remained “the primary terrorist threat in the UK” and that referral trends were kept “under close review.”
It comes as the UK’s hard-right has been riding a wave of increasing popularity in the last two years, spearheaded by Reform UK’s Nigel Farage and Restore Britain’s Rupert Lowe, who have championed anti-immigration policies. There has also been growing support for far-right activists such as Tommy Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – who has attended protests and spoken at anti-immigration rallies across the country.
Surge in referrals
The latest figures also highlighted an increase in referrals relating to “fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks” in the first half of 2025, with 286 such referrals recorded from April to June.
That number dropped to 183 between July and September, although the report noted that the fall could be due to “reduced referral activity from education settings during summer holidays.”
Early 2025 was a particularly busy time for Prevent referrals, with a large increase recorded from January to March.
A 2025 report by British barrister Lord David Anderson – who previously served as the Independent Prevent Commissioner – suggested that that surge likely came on the back of publicity surrounding the Southport attack in late July 2024, during which Axel Rudakubana killed three young girls and injured multiple others in a knife attack. Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times before he carried out the attack.
If someone is deemed as at risk of radicalisation or of becoming involved in terrorism, their case is passed on to Channel, a voluntary multi-agency safeguarding service that aims to provide them with support.
Channel offers help such as mentoring, education, theological guidance, and careers assistance to those who accept. Alternative support methods are found for referrals who do not want to take part. Police can send cases to a Police-Led Partnership if an escalation of risk is identified.
The rise in referrals is putting increasing strain on Channel. The Home Office said it was continuing to work to ensure the programme can run as smoothly as possible, providing advice on best practice and “ensuring case management processes and tools are as robust and efficient as possible.”