Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress the Commission for Countering Extremism has made on tackling extremism.

The Commission is a non-statutory expert committee of the Home Office, set up to help the Government to understand the scale of extremism in the UK and the wider harms associated with it, beyond radicalisation into terrorism.

The Commission for Countering Extremism has played a key role in the Government’s approach to counter-extremism by providing external challenge and plays a vital role in providing advice to the Government on how to address the challenge posed by extremism and harness innovative thinking around critical issues. It is vital that the Government hears from a range of independent voices that can advise, criticise, and review work on such a crucial issue.

Robin Simcox was appointed as Interim Commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism in March 2021. He was appointed as the substantive Commissioner for Countering Extremism in July 2022, for a three-year term. As is usual when public appointments come to an end, Ministers are considering next steps and will update in due course.