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According to official UK government documents, expressing concern over mass migration is now being classified as a potential sign of terrorist ideology, subject to intervention through the anti-radicalisation Prevent programme.
A government-hosted online training module outlines “cultural nationalism” as a belief system that could warrant a referral to the Prevent scheme. This concept is described as the idea that “Western culture is under threat from mass migration and poor integration by certain ethnic and cultural groups.”
This classification appears in the Prevent programme's official "refresher awareness" course, hosted on the gov.uk platform. The course lists "cultural nationalism" as one of the most common subsets of extreme right-wing terrorist ideologies, alongside white supremacy and ethno-nationalism.
A spokesperson from the Home Office stated that Prevent is not intended to curtail debate or free expression but is designed to protect individuals vulnerable to radicalisation.
However, Lord Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, has raised concerns. In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, he warned that this broad definition might include mainstream political voices. He cited Robert Jenrick, the Shadow Justice Secretary, who has previously said that “excessive, uncontrolled migration threatens to cannibalise the compassion of the British public,” as someone who could potentially fall within Prevent’s scope.
Lord Young also pointed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s recent remarks suggesting that without effective immigration control, the UK risks becoming “an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.” Other public figures potentially affected include academic and GB News contributor Matthew Goodwin and author Douglas Murray.
Critics argue that being referred to Prevent can have serious long-term consequences for an individual’s education, career prospects, and public standing, with personal data being stored in official databases for a minimum of six years.
There are also growing concerns over Prevent’s effectiveness. The programme failed to prevent the Southport attack carried out by Axel Rudakubana, despite him being referred to Prevent three times. A review led by Sir William Shawcross two years ago condemned Prevent for misdirecting funds to extremist groups and for repeatedly missing individuals who later committed acts of terror.
Professor Ian Acheson, a former government extremism adviser, warned that the programme is drifting from monitoring dangerous conduct to scrutinising individuals simply for holding beliefs that, while controversial, fall within the bounds of legitimate public discourse. He suggested the system reflects a bias introduced through flawed training.
Another former adviser criticised the "cultural nationalism" label as poorly defined and unfit for serious counter-extremism policy, warning it undermines the credibility of the entire programme.
