The UK government has published a new policy framework aimed at strengthening social cohesion and countering extremism, warning that rising geopolitical tensions, online radicalisation and social divisions pose increasing risks to national resilience.
The document, titled Protecting What Matters: Towards a more confident, cohesive, and resilient United Kingdom, sets out a cross-government programme to improve community cohesion, tackle extremism and address the impact of disinformation and foreign interference.
The strategy argues that social cohesion is now a national security issue, with hostile states and extremist groups increasingly seeking to exploit divisions within British society.
In a foreword to the report, the Prime Minister said strong and united communities were essential for national resilience. “Social cohesion is not just a good in and of itself. It is also a vital front in the resilience of our national security,” he wrote. “To put it simply: if we are to be strong on the global stage, we must have strong and united communities at home.”
The government said the strategy responds to a range of pressures that have strained cohesion in recent years, including economic hardship, technological change, demographic shifts and rising extremism. The report also warned that foreign actors are increasingly attempting to amplify divisions through disinformation campaigns and influence operations.
The plan outlines measures across several areas, including investment in communities, reforms to migration and integration policy, stronger responses to hate crime, and expanded powers to tackle extremist organisations. Among the proposals is a major expansion of the Pride in Place programme, with long-term funding for communities to regenerate local areas and strengthen civic engagement.
The government will also introduce a new Social Cohesion Taskforce to coordinate policy across departments and publish annual updates on progress. Migration and integration are another major focus of the strategy. Ministers say future policy will place greater emphasis on integration, English language proficiency and participation in work and civic life.
The document also sets out plans for an “Earned Settlement” system, under which migrants will typically need to spend ten years in the UK before qualifying for permanent settlement, with the possibility of shorter periods for those making significant contributions.
Alongside integration reforms, the government said it would continue efforts to reduce irregular migration and phase out the use of asylum hotels. The report places significant emphasis on tackling extremism, warning that both Islamist and extreme right-wing ideologies remain serious threats.
Technology companies will also face additional scrutiny under the Online Safety Act, including requirements to mitigate algorithmic promotion of harmful content and provide greater transparency over how platforms operate. The strategy also outlines measures to address religious hatred, including new initiatives to tackle antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility.
These include expanded security funding for places of worship, a new definition of anti-Muslim hostility and additional support for reporting and investigating hate crimes. Ministers said the strategy is intended as the starting point of a longer-term effort to strengthen community resilience and protect democratic institutions.
“Building confident, cohesive and resilient communities is a whole-of-society effort,” the document states, adding that central government will work with devolved administrations, local authorities and civil society groups to deliver the programme.
Basically, they don’t want to face reality, so they will double down on punishing people who don’t deserve it. They’ll keep it vague, but just vague enough so they can twist it so they can still prosecute people. We all know the Online Safety Act is about control, unless you disagree, which means you support the likes of Jimmy Savile, according to the tech minister. Or if you disagree with the Met Police and Kahn removing consumer rights with cryptographic phone components, you support phone snatching gangs.
They will carry on with whom they will prosecute.
Gobbledygook.all of it . The vast majority of people in this country, regardless of colour or religion just want to bring up their families happy, healthy and safe. Successive governments for the last thirty oddyears have instead come up with diversity, inclusion, immigration and woke, none of which have worked. In fact they have been counter productive. We have spent billions on achieving absolutely nothing.
This is probably relevant to the new blasphemy law, oh sorry I mean anti “islamophobia” definition combined with the removal of jury trials for certain crimes was all put into place to appeal to Labours muslim voter base. It’s to silence people who rightfully call out their repulsive crimes, be it the grooming gangs, the treatment of women or the preaching of hate speech in mosques which inevitably leads to terror attacks.
I genuinely feel sorry for groups like Jews who are constantly targeted and yet all Labours efforts seem to be appeasing the followers of the great paedophile mohammed
Multiculturalism has been a total failure. Nobody wanted it, nobody ever got a vote on it and now here we are. Now we’re left with a society thats more fractured than ever before. The governments only answer is to criminalise anyone that points out the reality of the situation. There are way more people being arrested for social media posts here than in Russia. Countering extremism my arse.
Oh dear! I feel that the policy of crafting a set of laws specific to Muslims will have exactly the opposite effect to that desired. Enshrining ‘Islamophobia’ in law is the equivalent of an act of internal devolution. It will create the ‘islands of strangers’ that Starmer himself has already recognized. You can’t treat Muslims like a sort of rare exotic orchid, to be protected at all costs. What next, a bat tunnel over Birmingham? The govt needs to drop this obsession.