Referrals linked to far-right extremism have risen sharply to record levels, according to the latest Prevent statistics, highlighting how the nature of the terrorist threat in the UK continues to evolve.
More than 10,000 referrals were made to the government’s Prevent programme in the year to September 2025, a 39% increase on the previous year and the highest annual total since the legal duty on public bodies to make referrals was introduced in 2015.
Prevent is designed to identify individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism before they commit offences. Those considered to be genuinely vulnerable can be referred to a multi-agency Channel panel, where they may receive mentoring, educational support or mental health interventions aimed at steering them away from radicalisation.
The latest figures also show that the proportion of referrals progressing to Channel almost doubled, rising from around one in ten to 18%, suggesting that a greater number of referrals were assessed as presenting genuine concerns.
Perhaps the most striking trend is the continued growth of extreme right-wing extremism. Referrals linked to far-right concerns rose by 42%, increasing from 1,480 to 2,103 cases in just one year. By contrast, referrals relating to Islamist extremism fell by 9%, dropping from 945 to 860.
Among referrals where a specific ideology was identified, extreme right-wing extremism was the single largest category, accounting for one in five referrals. More significantly, these cases were the most likely to require intervention, making up 42% of all Channel cases accepted for specialist support.
The figures reinforce assessments made repeatedly by the UK’s security services that the terrorist threat no longer comes predominantly from one ideological source. While Islamist terrorism remains a serious and persistent danger, far-right extremism has become an increasingly prominent challenge, fuelled by conspiracy theories, online radicalisation, racist propaganda and extremist networks operating across social media.
Education remained the largest source of Prevent referrals, accounting for just over a third of all cases. Teachers and schools are often among the first to notice worrying changes in behaviour, particularly among young people exposed to extremist material online. Police, prisons, local authorities, health services, community organisations and family members also contributed referrals.
The statistics reveal that young people remain especially vulnerable. Children aged between 11 and 15 accounted for 35% of all extreme right-wing referrals and almost half of referrals involving an obsession with extreme violence or mass-casualty attacks.
By comparison, Islamist referrals were more evenly spread across older age groups, with those aged 31 to 40 representing the largest category. Incel-related referrals were most common among 18 to 21-year-olds, while left-wing extremism referrals peaked among those aged 26 to 30.
More than half of all referrals involved individuals where no clear ideology had been identified, illustrating that vulnerability to radicalisation is often complex and not always driven by established extremist beliefs.
The latest Prevent figures paint a clear picture: far-right extremism is an increasingly significant component of the UK’s domestic terrorism landscape. As extremist narratives continue to spread online and target vulnerable individuals, particularly younger people, tackling radicalisation in all its forms remains a critical challenge for communities, educators and law enforcement alike.
