The Home Office is set to appoint a new commissioner to oversee the Prevent strategy, raising fresh questions about the future direction of the controversial counter-terrorism programme, reports Middle East Eye.
The creation of the new role, which was announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, appears to signal a change of approach under the new Labour government, and an apparent sidelining of another Home Office-created body previously tasked with oversight of Prevent, the Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE).
On Tuesday, the Home Office said the new independent Prevent commissioner would be recruited “with the specific remit of reviewing the programme’s effectiveness, identifying gaps and problems before they emerge”.
That has led to speculation that current commissioner Robin Simcox’s role could be at risk, and that the creation of the new role could precede more extensive changes to Prevent.
Read more on The Middle East Eye.
