Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 28 October (HL2121), whether they consider civil servants who believe in an Islamic State in the United Kingdom brought about by peaceful means a source of concern; and whether they consider such views to be extremist.

The Government’s Prevent strategy defines extremism as vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. Any civil servant seen as opposing those values would be a cause for concern.

As mentioned in my written answer of 28 October, Civil Servants are subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Code.

The Home Secretary recently announced that the Home Office will, for the first time, assume responsibility for a counter-extremism strategy that goes beyond terrorism. The strategy will aim to build up the public sector and civil society to identify extremism in all its forms, confront it, challenge it and defeat it. The need to protect British values will be at the heart of the new strategy.