Why Rishi Sunak’s planned new definition of ‘extremism’ is getting messy

What's happening?

Rishi Sunak's plan to set a new, broader definition of extremism has been met with criticism, with some MPs and campaign groups warning the move could end up suppressing freedom of speech.

Communities secretary Michael Gove is expected to announce the controversial plan this week, having claimed a new definition with more "specificity" would help the government and public bodies ban funding and engagement with Islamist and far-right groups.

It comes after Sunak warned, in an impromptu speech outside Number 10, of “a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality” in the UK since the 7 October attack in Israel and the protests that have followed.

The prime minister previously warned senior police officers that "mob rule is replacing democratic rule", which civil rights groups viewed as an exaggerated assessment that could be used to crack down further on peaceful protest.

Key people

Rishi Sunak: The PM claimed that extremist groups in the UK are trying to “trying to tear us apart”, decrying “a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality” in Britain since 7 October. He made the remarks hours after George Galloway won a by-election in Rochdale, having led a campaign which focused heavily on pro-Palestinian sentiment over the war in Gaza. Sunak made a commitment to a “robust framework” to allow the government to tackle extremism at its roots, which Gove is likely to set out in detail this week.

Michael Gove: The communities secretary warned over the weekend that "good-hearted" people at pro-Palestine marches in the UK should be more wary and critical of extremists among their ranks, as he vowed to expose groups trying to "subvert democracy". He told the Sunday Telegraph that some events had been "organised by extremist organisations".

Priti Patel: In an interview with the Guardian, former home secretary Priti Patel warned there is a risk that the "wrong people" will be maligned "through the wrong definitions". She said it is important to "strike the right balance between free speech and how we bring communities together". Patel was among three former Tory home secretaries to sign a joint statement warning the government not to use extremism as a way to score political points.

Why it matters

While keeping citizens safe should be the "first responsibility of government", the perception of extremism, and how to deal with it, should have "as broad a consensus as possible if we are to be successful in marginalising and defeating it," the letter signed by Patel says.

Urging the Conservative Party and Labour to work collaboratively on this issue, rather than using it for political gain, it says: "In the run-up to a general election it’s particularly important that consensus is maintained and that no political party uses the issue to seek short-term tactical advantage."

Campaign groups have been quick to question how the new guidance will be applied, including by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which raised concerns over recent claims of Islamophobia within the Tory party.

"After standing accused of peddling Islamophobia, it is ironic that the governing party should lash out and accuse everyone else but themselves of extremism. We shall be monitoring developments and will seek to reserve our position legally," the group said.

Sky News presenter and former Commission for Racial Equality head, Sir Trevor Phillips, relayed these concerns to health secretary Victoria Atkins in an interview on his Sunday morning show.

"There is a suspicion that what's emerging here is really, not a noble defence of British values, but actually a new dividing line with Labour, because a lot of the groups involved here would be Islamist groups, and you think that would give Labour trouble with its Muslim voters."

Atkins said she "fundamentally disagrees" with that suggestion, describing Sunak as a "principled man", who spoke with "personal conviction" over the "pain that racism and extremist ideology can have".

What are other people saying?

Extremism 'can't be used as political football': “This is an extraordinary intervention from the country’s foremost counter terror and extremism experts. The message is clear, if we are to tackle extremism effectively we have to do it together. It can’t be used as a political football. Some things are too important” – Brendan Cox on the recent letter to government

Proposed definition is 'too loose': “The proposed definition of extremism is very loose. The distinction from the way we deal with terrorism couldn’t be clearer. The proposed policy is about ideology. But a lot of respected scholars and thinkers would say you go after action, because ultimately what matters is if someone acts violently or encourages violence” – Government's independent reviewer of terror legislation, Jonathan Hall, in the Guardian on 10 March

Will Tories also be classed as extremists?: "Mr Sunak’s speech not only attempted to smear hundreds and thousands of protestors calling for peace in Gaza, it was also peppered with ill-defined warnings of extremism from ‘Islamists’ and the far-right. We await to see how the government will expand its definition of extremism and whether they would also cover large swathes of the Conservative Party leadership who have directed divisive and hateful rhetoric against Muslims, and the large portion of the party’s membership with conspiratorial views about Muslims" – Muslim Council of Britain on 4 March

Broadening definition is 'slippery slope': "No, we don’t need a ‘broader definition of extremism’. This is a slippery slope towards the abolition of fundamental freedoms. What does it even mean to ‘undermine British values’ when there is no consensus – and certainly no legal definition – of what those values are Some people think that gender critical views are ‘extreme’. I think decriminalising abortion to birth is ‘extreme’. Opposition politicians think the current government is ‘extreme’. Martin Luther King, William Wilberforce and the suffragettes were all viewed as ‘extremists’" – Miriam Cates, writing on X on 4 March

Suffragettes would have been targeted under proposals: “I think it’s an appalling direction to go down. People like me and others involved were hated and attacked and vilified, and it’s only more recently that those who thought that way have come to understand why we needed to do what we did. But we would have been targeted under this new approach to a definition of extremism” – Labour peer and anti-apartheid campaigner Peter Hain, in the Guardian on 10 March.

Stop equating Muslims with extremists: “To defeat this threat the single most important thing we can do is to isolate the extremists and the terrorists from the vast majority of British Muslims who deplore such violence. [But] in recent weeks there have been too many cases where politicians and others have failed to do this, in some cases equating being Muslim with being an extremist, facilitating anti-Muslim hate or failing to challenge it" – The Survivors Against Terror campaign group in open letter on 10 March

Don't let extremist views 'percolate' through society: “There are some people, sadly, who hold views that are contrary to the values that we hold as a country and we should not allow those views to percolate through society. There can be a minority of people who hold and extol views that make the rest of us feel not just deeply uncomfortable, but if you are a Jewish resident of London, some have said that they feel worried about walking around London when these demonstrations happen, and that’s not right” – Health secretary Victoria Atkins on Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on 10 March