The Prime Minister opened Cabinet
with an update on his visit with the Chancellor to
Barrow-in-Furness, where he announced significant long-term
investment into the UK’s nuclear skills base, to safeguard the
future of our national security and energy security, and a £200m
‘Plan for Barrow’ to back the home of the UK’s nuclear submarine
shipbuilding industry.
The Cabinet then discussed the
Government’s action on extremism, with the Prime Minister
reiterating that the horrific attacks in the Middle East on
October 7 have underlined the importance of a robust approach
that tackles both the cause as well as the symptoms. The Prime
Minister highlighted the Levelling Up Secretary’s work on the new
definition of extremism and a set of cross-government engagement
principles.
The Levelling Up Secretary
provided an update on the Government’s work to strengthen the
implementation of these principles and further limit the impact
of extremists through the upcoming Action Plan – the latest in a
series of measures setting out this Government’s strategic
approach to counter-extremism, religious hatred and democratic
resilience. He also discussed several of the recommendations in
Dame Sara Khan’s Independent Review of Social Cohesion and
Resilience and looked forward to Lord Walney’s Independent Review
of Political Violence and Disruption.
The Home Secretary spoke about
the recent measures on Protective Security and Protests and the
work of the Counter Terrorism Centre of Excellence, and the
Culture Secretary updated Cabinet on the work of the Charity
Commission to tackle the support of extremism through the
sector.
The Prime Minister concluded
Cabinet by saying the Government is striking a balance in
protecting civil liberties and democratic rights whilst
safeguarding them against the wide-ranging harms of
extremism.
He called on all colleagues to
continue supporting the Levelling Up Secretary with robust action
to tackle extremism and to continue to instil confidence amongst
the public that we are promoting our values and tackling
extremism head-on.
