Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Home secretary Javid unveils new counter-terrorism strategy

Home Secretary Sajid Javid has unveiled his new counter-terrorism strategy under which domestic security services will share information with other agencies on British citizens suspected of having terrorist sympathies.

In his first keynote speech on security since he became home secretary, Javid announced a range of steps aimed at strengthening the powers available to security agencies to prevent attacks from Islamist as well as extreme right-wing terror groups.


He said MI5 will be allowed to declassify and share information on UK citizens suspected of having terrorist sympathies with other government agencies, local authorities and businesses, the BBC reported.

Under the new counter-terrorism plan, he said, key biographical data will be given to neighbourhood police, councils and the charity commission in London, Midlands and Manchester trial schemes.

Javid said there had been a "step change" in the threat to the UK, with 25 Islamist-linked plots foiled in the last five years and four extreme right plots stopped since March 2017.

He said there is a need for increased and faster sharing of information between security services and the police as well as local authorities and other public agencies so that there is no "safe space" in the UK for terrorists to plan and carry out attacks.

The security services currently hold information on around 20,000 people labelled "closed subjects of concern" who have previously been investigated and it is believed could pose a threat in the future, the BBC said.

Intelligence on up to a hundred of these could initially be shared.

Examples of co-operation, he said, could lead to "faster alerts for suspicious purchases, improving security at crowded places across the UK, and reducing the vulnerability of our critical infrastructure".

Other proposals include increasing maximum sentences for some offences and enhancing the use of data to track terrorism suspects.

Javid's speech comes a day after the one-year anniversary of the London Bridge attack. The attack involved three attackers led by Pakistani-origin terror suspect Khuram Butt going on a rampage killing eight people and injuring 48 others before being shot by police.

The new counter-terrorism strategy came amid reports that UK police and security services are facing a surge in the number of convicted terrorists released from prison.

The Guardian newspaper reported that more than 40 per cent of the sentences for terrorism offences handed down over a 10-year period will have been served by the end of the year.

More than 80 of the 193 terror-related sentences handed down between 2007 and 2016 will expire this year. The number of individuals released could be much higher as prisoners are eligible for release halfway through their sentence, the daily said.

More For You

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

Prince Harry criticised tech companies for citing privacy laws to deny access

Getty

Harry and Meghan urge tougher safeguards to protect children online

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have called for stronger protections for children online, warning that not enough is being done to shield young people from the dangers of social media

During a visit to New York, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unveiled a new memorial dedicated to the memory of children whose families believe harmful online content contributed to their deaths. The installation, named the Lost Screen Memorial, features 50 smartphones, each displaying an image of a child lost to what their families describe as the adverse effects of social media. The memorial was made available to the public for 24 hours.

Keep ReadingShow less
Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

Afghan refugees arrive at a camp near the Torkham border last Sunday (20)

Afghan exodus soars as Pakistan deadline nears

MORE than 100,000 Afghans have left Pakistan in the past three weeks, the interior ministry said on Tuesday (22), after Islamabad announced the cancellation of residence permits.

Calling Afghans “terrorists and criminals”, the Pakistan government launched its mass eviction campaign on April 1. Analysts said the expulsions are designed to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, which Islamabad blames for fuelling a rise in border attacks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

Energy secretary Ed Miliband reads a letter from Britain's King Charles III during the Future of Energy Security Summit at Lancaster House on April 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Government announces funding for offshore wind supply chains

THE government has announced an initial £300 million investment to strengthen domestic offshore wind supply chains ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The funding will be distributed through Great British Energy, the country's publicly-owned clean energy company.

Prime minister Keir Starmer on Thursday (24) said the investment aims to support jobs and help the UK reach clean power by 2030.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-pahalgam-getty

'I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer,' Modi said in his first speech since the incident.

Getty Images

Modi vows to hunt Kashmir attackers ‘to the ends of the Earth’

INDIA and Pakistan have exchanged a series of diplomatic measures after prime minister Narendra Modi blamed Pakistan for a deadly shooting in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.

Modi said India would identify and punish those behind the attack and accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump

Trump also announced an initiative on historically black colleges and universities and signed orders on AI education and workforce development.

Getty Images

Trump signs orders targeting university diversity policies and accreditation

DONALD TRUMP signed a set of executive orders on Wednesday aimed at US universities, focusing on foreign donations, college accreditation, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

One order directs the federal government to enforce existing laws requiring universities to disclose large foreign gifts. Another addresses accreditation, which Trump has described as a “secret weapon.”

Keep ReadingShow less