Prevent referrals involving extreme right-wing concerns in England and Wales rose 42% in the latest annual figures, as MI5 says the threat contributed significantly to the UK’s severe terrorism threat level.
The Home Office recorded 2,103 such referrals from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025, compared with 1,480 in the previous year. The figures reflect concerns that someone may be susceptible to radicalization. Individuals can be referred more than once, so the totals are not counts of unique people.
The 42% increase describes referrals, not a measured rise in attacks or violence. The Home Office provisionally schedules its next release of Prevent statistics for winter.
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre raised the UK national terrorism threat level to severe on May 1, 2026. MI5 says that rating means an attack is highly likely. In his Oct. 13 update, MI5 Director-General Sir Ken McCallum said the rise reflected the broader terrorist threat, with extreme right-wing terrorism a major contributor.
In the same Oct. 13, 2026, update, McCallum said MI5 had handled cases involving plans to target mosques and venues associated with immigration and asylum.
Former MI5 Director General Jonathan Evans described organized far-right violence as a growing concern in an interview with Anadolu. “It is now a real concern for British intelligence,” he told the outlet. Evans cited the 2016 murder of lawmaker Jo Cox as an example of far-right violence. He said domestic policy, possible promotion of extremist views by hostile states, and wider social and economic pressures may also play a role. Evans added that similar pressures were visible across Europe and, to some extent, in the United States.
