New report calls for comprehensive overhaul of UK counter-terrorism policies
The University鈥檚 is among 14 experts who compiled the of the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice, which was published today by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law.
The report is based on extensive research and evidence from over 200 experts, practitioners, policymakers, academics and community representatives.
Professor Pilkington鈥檚 remit was to scrutinise the evidence around the Government鈥檚 Prevent programme - which aims to identify and rehabilitate people at risk of radicalisation - drawing on her research expertise in youth engagement and the societal drivers of extremism.
Referrals to Prevent increased markedly after 2015, when it became a legal duty for teachers, social workers, nurses and other frontline professionals to report people they believed to be at risk of being drawn into terrorism or extremism. Referrals jumped from a few hundred a year before 2015, to an average of 6,458 per year since 2015 and to a record number of 8,517 in 2024-25.
More than two thirds of these referrals were for concerns that had no - or no clear - ideological dimension, meaning that a counter-terrorism intervention was not an appropriate response. Almost half of referrals were for children aged 11-17, and a third had at least one mental health or neurodivergence condition.
Many of the young people referred to Prevent need support from healthcare or social care services, not a counter-terrorism intervention. Our report recommends that the Prevent programme focuses on people whose behaviour indicates significant risk to public safety.
鈥淚t should constitute one element of a broader, more holistic and better resourced multi-agency safeguarding approach that addresses diverse drivers of violence and to which individuals are referred via a 鈥榖ig front door鈥�,鈥� Hilary added.
The Commission sets out 113 recommendations to modernise the UK鈥檚 counter-terrorism framework and strengthen its fairness, focus and accountability.
The report concludes that while the UK鈥檚 counter-terrorism system remains world-leading, it has grown complex and overbroad. Key reforms are needed to ensure it remains effective, proportionate, and rooted in democratic values. As well as the recommendations concerning the Prevent programme, it also recommends that the government:
Narrow the legal definition of terrorism, ensuring clarity and proportionality.
Reform proscription powers, introducing time-limited reviews and stronger parliamentary and judicial oversight.
Tighten terrorism offences, ensuring prosecutions are fair, proportionate, and grounded in clear intent.
Restore equality in citizenship law, limiting deprivation powers and ensuring fair treatment under the law.
Invest in social cohesion, recognising that inclusion and trust are vital to long-term security.