The government has no plans to expand the definition of extremism, a Home Office minister has said after a leaked review suggested the UK should focus on concerning behaviours and activity rather than ideologies.
Dan Jarvis told the Commons: “This work did not recommend an expansion in the definition of extremism, and they are not, and have never been, any plans to do so.
“To be clear, the leaked documents were not current or new government policy.”
He added that “many documents are produced” across government as part of work that is not implemented and “which do not constitute government policy”.
The document was part of a rapid review on extremism commissioned by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in August and was revealed after it was leaked to the Policy Exchange thinktank.
It suggested the UK should be focusing on behaviours and activities such as spreading conspiracy theories, misogyny, influencing racism and involvement in “an online subculture called the manosphere”.
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