Emails raise concerns about potential Home Office interference in the Independent Review of Prevent, says Rights & Security International
23rd January 2023
Rights & Security International (RSI), a London-based human rights charity, says copies of emails it has secured through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request raise concerns that the Home Office may have interfered significantly in the report of the Independent Review of its Prevent strategy.
The group, which led a successful legal fight to have Lord Carlile removed as independent reviewer in 2019 due to concerns about a lack of independence, believes the emails to and from Home Office officials may show interventions by the Home Office in the Review now led by Sir William Shawcross, calling into question the Reviews independence.
The group has now written to the Home Secretary and Sir William voicing its serious concerns about the lawfulness of the ongoing Independent Review of Prevent, one of the four elements of CONTEST, the Governments counter-terrorism strategy.
In its letter to the Home Secretary, RSI says that interventions by the government in the contents of the review report would compromise the independence of the Review. The review was commissioned on the basis it needed to be independent, and its independence is mandated by section 20(8) of the Counter Terrorism Border Security Act 2019 (as amended), which requires an u201cindependentreview and report on the Government strategy for supporting people vulnerable to being drawn into terrorismu201d.
The Independent Review should have been presented to Parliament by 31 December 2021, but has been delayed.
The response to RSIs FOI request show that Sir William and/or members of his review team met with the Home Secretary, Home Office Ministers and/or other senior Home Office officials on no fewer than 13 occasions between 9 February 2021 and 18 August 2022, including five meetings after the draft report of the Independent Review was apparently provided to the Home Office and Home Secretary.
On 13 April 2022, a Home Office email notes the then Home Secretary Priti Patels request to see the draft of the Independent Review report u201cas soon as possibleu201d. A week later, another email indicates that her office would receive a draft u201cby the end of the weeku201d. Sir William appears to have asked for an extension of his IT access so that he could respond to any comments from the Home Office on his draft.
An email dated 25 April provides an amended version of the report. It would appear from context that the proposed amendments were made by the Home Office. An email dated 29 April notes that meetings had been arranged with someone at the Home Office to discuss the draft report, with Sir William invited to u201cdeal with comments or requestsu201d by the end of May.
In its letter to the Home Secretary, RSI says it seems that the Home Office has had significant input into the report. It invites the Home Office to explain what happened and provide further detail.
The Prevent strategy has long been controversial for its impact on civil liberties and education, including for young children, and an alleged excessive focus on British Muslims. It is therefore critical that the review be independent in addressing the governments policies and activities.
RSI considers this to be particularly important in circumstances where the Government made clear its initial opposition to an independent review of Prevent, describing calls for it as u201cunfoundedu201d. RSI says any appearance that the Home Office has influenced the outcome and content of the review would be deeply concerning.
RSI has now asked Ms Braverman and Sir William for copies of all drafts of the report the latter has sent to the Home Office and all comments on those drafts that they have returned.
RSI has also asked why the Home Office was given a draft copy of the report, which other departments have seen it and when, and what amendments were made, as well as a list of other questions.
Sarah St Vincent of RSI said:
u201cParliament