Babies and toddlers referred to counterterror scheme hundreds of times
‘Utter farce’ as hundreds of babies and toddlers are referred to counterterror scheme
- Babies and toddlers have been referred to the government's Prevent anti-terror scheme hundreds of times since 2016, including 45 referrals for infants under the age of one.
- Children aged two to five were referred 500 times between 2016-17 and 2023-24, with nearly half (46 per cent) of all under-10 referrals linked to "Islamist" concerns.
- For children under three, "Islamist" concerns accounted for 70 per cent of Prevent referrals, according to a Freedom of Information request by Hyphen.
- Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the referrals as "shocking, saddening and utterly farcical," arguing they criminalise communities and stereotype young children as extremists.
- The findings emerge as the Home Office reported a record 8,778 Prevent referrals in 2024/25, a 27 per cent increase, with officials noting a rise since the Southport murders in July 2024.