Theresa May sets out four-point plan to defeat extremist ideology in wake of London attack
The Prime Minister's Downing Street statement contained four proposals to challenge extreme views
THERESA MAY has outlined a new four-point plan to defeat terror after declaring "Enough is enough" in response to the London Bridge atrocity.
The Prime Minister has vowed to increase sentences for terror-related offences and crack down on extremist ideology.
She also said she would force internet companies to stop allowing extremists to plot online, and end segragation between different communities in Britain.
During a fiery speech on the steps of Number 10 yesterday, Mrs May set out her response to the attack which killed seven people in London on Saturday night.
She said: "We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue as they are.
"Things need to change, and they need to change in four important ways."
END EXTREMIST IDEOLOGY
The first point is the need to defeat the "evil ideology of Islamist extremism that preaches hatred, sows division, and promotes sectarianism".
Mrs May said that it is not enough to combat jihadist violence and called for new measures to tackle extremist views even before they lead to violent attacks.
She said: "It will only be defeated when we turn people’s minds away from this violence, and make them understand that our values – pluralistic, British values – are superior to anything offered by the preachers and supporters of hate."
The PM has already announced a new Commission for Countering Extremism which will co-ordinate efforts to defeat violent ideology.
BLOCK ONLINE JIHADISTS
Her second major policy is to deny extremism a "safe space" to develop.
Mrs May said: "That is precisely what the internet – and the big companies that provide internet-based services – provide.
"We need to work with allied, democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremism and terrorist planning. And we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online."
The Government has challenged firms such as Google and Facebook to do more to remove jihadist content from their sites, and stop allowing extremists to plot using encrypted platforms.
NO MORE SEGREGATION
The PM's third priority is breaking up segregation in society to ensure that extremist views do not fester within particular communities.
She said: "While we have made significant progress in recent years, there is – to be frank – far too much tolerance of extremism in our country.
"So we need to become far more robust in identifying it and stamping it out – across the public sector and across society.
"That will require some difficult and often embarrassing conversations, but the whole of our country needs to come together to take on this extremism – and we need to live our lives not in a series of separated, segregated communities but as one truly United Kingdom."
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In addition, she pointed to the need for military action against ISIS in the Middle East, to prevent terrorists having a base from which to export their ideology.
STRICT SENTENCES FOR TERROR HELPERS
Finally, Mrs May is calling for a new counter-terror strategy, probably including greater prison sentences for terror-related offences.
That would allow the authorities to crack down on crimes such as funding terrorists which fall short of actual violence but are required for terror to flourish.
The PM said: "In light of what we are learning about the changing threat, we need to review Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy to make sure the police and security services have all the powers they need."