Matt Vickers

I thank the Minister for advanced sight of his statement and for his recognition of the importance of working together across the House to make our country safer. The attacks against the Jewish community in recent months have been devastating. As the Leader of the Opposition and the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation have said, this is a national emergency. The Government noted that the raising of the terror threat level was not solely a consequence of the attack in Golders Green, but we can all see how this community has been targeted. Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families. We have to speak honestly about what is going on. We have to call out hate when we see it. Jewish people in Britain are 12 times more likely to be a victim of hate crime than any other group. We cannot allow this to go on. That requires not just warm words but robust action. That means authorising the surveillance powers usually reserved for counter-terrorism, which the Minister referenced today, to identify and prevent antisemitic attacks that are being planned. Furthermore, foreign nationals who express antisemitism, support extremism or endorse terrorism should be deported. The Government should place a moratorium on hate-fuelled pro-Palestine marches, because we can see the way in which they are being used as a cover to promote violence and intimidation against Jewish people. Furthermore, although I welcome the Government’s announcement of legislation in the King’s Speech, they need to act at speed. Steps need to be taken to proscribe groups that fuel this hatred, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This was recommended almost 12 months ago. I hope it is now a top priority for the Government. Conservative Members on this side of the House stand ready to support its implementation. Ultimately, the measures outlined do not begin to cover the full extent of the action needed to stop this evil. We need to tackle the underlying ideologies that threaten our national security. It is therefore critical that the Government focus on the ideologies that pose the greatest threat. As I told the House during the statement on antisemitic attacks in April, 75% of MI5’s terrorism caseload relates to Islamist extremism, and 94% of terrorist murders over the past 25 years have been perpetrated by Islamist extremists. However, we have seen a decrease in Prevent referrals relating to Islamist extremism. Only 10% of the current Prevent caseload relates to Islamist extremism. Can the Minister explain what more the Government will do to address that disparity and ensure that we tackle Islamist extremism effectively? Equally, talking about the threat posed by China is not an abstract matter. There are people in this country who have had bounties placed on them and who face threats because of the Chinese regime. Police officer David Wilson recently published his report into Chinese organised crime links to the Chinese state, including its intelligence services, diplomatic service and the United Front Work Department. The report demonstrates how Chinese intelligence services, and even diplomats, work with organised crime networks to supress dissidents and intimidate British-Chinese communities and students into compliance. I therefore ask the Government, as many of my colleagues have before, to place China in the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme. We share the Government’s concerns about the continued threat posed by Russia. Will the Minister join me in condemning the fact that Russia has issued an arrest warrant for our former colleague Ben Wallace? Does he agree that this is totally unacceptable, and will he endeavour to look into the matter? The increase in the threat level illustrates the risks posed to this country. Many of the measures set out by the Minister will be welcomed, but I believe we need a fundamental shift that reflects the scale of the threats facing the country, and particularly the Jewish community. We must maintain an absolute focus on stamping out the ideologies that fuel hatred and undermine our national security. I believe that is how we pay tribute to those who have been victims of these devastating terrorist attacks.