CEG is saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Alex Younger, former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service.
Sir Alex was one of our finest public servants. He combined a fierce intellect with an unassuming air & charm. Sir Alex's storied career & unrelenting dedication to keeping our country safe will be much discussed in the days ahead - as it should be.
However his generosity in sharing his time and his wisdom with the next generation may be less well understood. Sir Alex instinctively recognised the need to convey to young people the litany of threats we face. He understood these threats clearly & explained them masterfully as the inaugural patron of our Young Leaders programme.
Our thoughts are with his family at this time.
Instead of new definitions, the Government should re-assert the existing religious-hate framework in a clear, one-page form to give communities confidence in equal protection & help institutions apply the law properly, avoiding special treatment, legal confusion & chilled speech
Pleased we published our @CEGroupUK@dr_d_allington report on the challenges of an Islamophobia definition today, alongside @charleshymas in the @Telegraph. Here's a thread advocating for a re-assertion of the existing religious-hate framework in a clear, one-page form instead.
A new report from @CEGroupUK examines Britain's legal framework for tackling anti-Muslim hatred and the inherent challenges of creating an Islamophobia definition. The report is covered by @charleshymas in the @Telegraph https://t.co/e5uHopyCJS
The Young Leaders in National Security Fellows are hearing from Sir William Shawcross next - talking about a range of subjects, including his Independent Review of Prevent.
The Young Leaders in National Security Fellowship 2024 is starting with the impressive new cohort and the CEG Team this morning.
(The youngest member of the CEG Team was determined not to miss it.)
There’s a story today that I really want talk about.
The Birth Trauma Inquiry – by a cross party group of MPs – has called for a national plan to improve maternity care, after speaking to 1,300 women and finding “shockingly poor quality” in how we look after women giving birth.
In the Politics Hub team call this morning, I joked that after having two children in recent years I had become radicalised when it comes to maternal health care.
But if I’m being honest with you, it’s not really a joke – I DO feel radicalised on it.
Because maternity care in the UK is, in my opinion, really quite shocking.
And my own experiences and the experiences of other mums I talk to isn’t just anecdote, it’s supported by inquiries like this one: which found poor care in maternity services is “frequently tolerated as normal”, and poor quality postnatal care is an “almost universal theme” (well you can say that again.)
Once again there’s a theme of women just not being listened to. And that’s particularly the case if you’re a woman from a non white background.
Maternal mortality for black women is currently almost four times higher than for white women.
And if you’re still not radicalised like me yet, how about this statistic:
1 in 5 stillbirths and neonatal deaths may have been prevented with better care, according to the charity Sands. This equates to over 800 babies a year - over 25 classrooms of children whose lives could have been saved.
Victoria Atkins, the Health Secretary, has told Sky News today that there’s a three year plan and we’re in a transition period.
And look, I welcome today’s report, of course I do. But I’ve got a horrible feeling that this will end up being just another report into poor maternity care that’s swept under the carpet. When really we need to be demanding serious change. Because THIS is an absolute scandal.
We'll have more on tonight's #PoliticsHub 7pm
Thank you to @jowilliams293 & @David_Goodhart for speaking to the alumni of CEG’s Young Leaders in National Security Fellowship.
Our speakers and audience had a thoughtful conversation about identity politics, extreme protest movements, and free speech
Talking about the new extremism definition on @BBCNewsnight CEG’s @TomJPWilson argues that the Government should have robust policies about which groups it funds
https://t.co/9NvSNhZ7U2
The 2023 Young Leaders in National Security Fellowship was a fantastic week with inspiring speakers, 14 brilliant fellows and visits to some extremely interesting places. @10DowningStreet@CEGroupUK@HannahmStuart
Also welcome is the updated Prevent Duty Guidance.
As well as outlining procedures for staff working in sectors subject to the Duty, it captures the ethos of Prevent, refocussed post-review on stopping people from becoming or supporting terrorism. 3/
https://t.co/exiQjXB82X
Great to see that @CEGroupUK founding director @RobinSimcox - now leading the @CommissionCE - has been tasked by the Home Secretary @SuellaBraverman to lead Prevent's new standards and compliance unit. 1/
https://t.co/DnPw45kiJE
Getting StaCU up and running will be an important milestone in implementing Sir William Shawcross’s independent Review of Prevent.
Tasked with processing complaints and conducting investigations, it will create much-needed transparency and help to debunk anti-Prevent myths. 2/
It was a real pleasure to be filmed for @MagaliSerre important documentary Djihad sur l'Europe (Jihad on Europe) on the pernicious influence of Omar Bakri on British Muslims in the 1990s and early 2000s.
https://t.co/2RTLueFfTJ
What a great week! Last night we had the Young Leaders in National Security Fellowship 2023 graduation dinner with @SuzanneRaine2, William Shawcross, @HannahmStuart, @TomJPWilson, @EmmaFox247 and the bright, thoughtful Fellows.
Thank you @rashadzali1 & @MasiehH for a hugely informative session on how and why extremists succeed - covering Hizb ut Tahrir ideology, strategy and tactics - and how best to tackle them.
🚨 APPLICATIONS CLOSING TODAY
@CEGroupUK Young Leaders in National Security Fellowship
A free, week-long introduction to key national security and #extremism issues with leading experts from government, academia, and civil society.
https://t.co/r8LhNggn0N