by John Hayes, South Holland and The Deepings MP and Minister for Security
All that stands between us and chaos is order.
It is a primary responsibility of government to uphold national security, so safeguarding our people. In a world that has seen the rise of religious extremism and violence, security at home has become as important as protecting our borders from external aggression. It’s a vitally important job and I was greatly honoured when, after the General Election in May, the Prime Minister asked me to become the new Minister for Security, with responsibility for overseeing counter-terrorism.
The first few weeks in my new role were focused on meetings with officials and the security services, briefing me about the challenges we face. As I absorbed the complex and detailed information I was sometimes reminded of the words of John Buchan, the diplomat and author of The Thirty-Nine Steps, who wrote that while we may ‘think a wall as solid as the earth separates civilisation from barbarism. I tell you the division is a thread, a sheet of glass.’
Experts tell us that the threat is now worse than at any time since 9/11. It is serious and it is growing.
The Head of MI5 recently stated publically that the number of terror plots against the UK are at their highest level he had seen in his 31-year career.
The changing nature of these threats, particularly the technology deployed against us, means that we must focus on two vitally important issues. The first is to stop the spread of extremist ideas through our communities; the second, to objectively assess the capabilities our security services now require to enable them to keep us safe.
The emergence of ISIL, and the number of people – including vulnerable, young people – who have travelled to Syria and Iraq, present a heightened threat to our national security. The poisonous ideology promoted by ISIL and the extremists that champion their cause represents a clear and present danger to our security and to our values.
Central to our mission is the need to bring people together to promote our shared British values – those time honoured principles and traditions, embodied by institutions which are, by their very nature, inclusive and essential to building a strong and cohesive society. In my constituency work throughout South Holland and the Deepings I work with such communal institutions day in, day out.
As the Prime Minister recently said:”Whether you are Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Christian or Sikh, we can all feel part of this country and we must all come together and stand up for our values with confidence and pride.”
The Prevent strategy, for which I am responsible, is a fundamental part of our response. The Prevent Duty places a statutory responsibility on public bodies to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’ when exercising their functions. The duty is designed to protect people from the poisonous and pernicious influence of extremist ideas that are used to legitimise terrorism, making sure key bodies across the country play their part and work in partnership to do this.
Since my appointment I have reflected profoundly on the threat facing our nation and its people. It is clear that extremism and violence cannot be rooted out by the security services alone. The present danger from ISIL, both at home and overseas, is unprecedented.
Defeating it will require a national, collective effort; we all have a part to play. That’s why we recently announced new measures to build competence across local government, universities and colleges, schools and hospitals, to change our perception of radicalisation and the threat we face.
Together we must build strong, cohesive communities.
