Social Cohesion
Executive Summary
UK social cohesion faces critical challenges with 74% believing the system is rigged, trust in government at historic lows (41/100 democratic wellbeing score), and the 2024 summer riots exposing deep fractures in community relations driven by misinformation, economic insecurity, and decades of declining social capital. The crisis is compounded by 7 million low-income households going without essentials, 140,561 hate crimes recorded annually, and widespread institutional distrust, making this one of the most spatially unequal Western democracies.
📊Scale of the Problem
Primary
74% of Britons believe the system is rigged to serve the rich and influential, with democratic wellbeing at a critically low score of 41/100 in 2025 (Carnegie UK Life in the UK 2025)
Secondary
140,561 hate crimes recorded in year ending March 2024, with religious hate crimes rising 25% driven by Israel-Hamas conflict; August 2024 saw highest ever monthly total of 10,097 racially/religiously aggravated offences following Southport riots (UK Government Home Office statistics)
Context
UK has fallen from 13th to 21st in global social progress rankings since 2011, now behind Slovenia, Czechia, and Estonia. UK is one of the most spatially unequal Western countries, with regional inequalities comparable to or larger than ethnic disparities.
🔍Root Causes
1Regional Inequality and Left Behind Communities
The UK exhibits extreme spatial inequality with no consistent levelling-up strategy over 13 years of Conservative governance. The £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund was criticized as 'politics of spectacle' offering short-term physical improvements without addressing spatial economic forces. More than half of those charged in 2024 riots came from the most deprived 20% of neighbourhoods. Post-industrial towns across North East and North West face deep economic challenges with residual anger around being 'left behind' serving as a key catalyst for civil unrest.
2Economic Insecurity and Cost of Living Crisis
7 million low-income households (60%) went without essentials in October 2024, with 5.4 million experiencing food insecurity. Real median household incomes fell 1.6% between 2019-2023, with the lowest 10% seeing a 6.6% drop. 4.3 million households held £9.6bn in loans originally taken for food, housing or essential bills. Material deprivation rose from 19.6% to 22.2% of working-age adults. This represents one of the most significant declines in living standards in modern British history, with incomes not expected to return to pre-crisis levels until at least 2027.
3Social Media Misinformation and Algorithmic Polarisation
The 2024 Southport riots were fueled by false claims spread on social media that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. Ofcom found illegal content and disinformation spread 'widely and quickly' with 'uneven' responses from social media companies. 98% of social media users report encountering misinformation, with 76% of people believing insufficient action has been taken to tackle it. Platform algorithms create echo chambers and increase polarization, while 82% of UK adults now use social media. 60% have low trust in social media and 42% distrust big tech companies.
4State Authority Erosion and Uneven Law Enforcement
Public perception of 'two-tier policing' - where certain groups appear to receive differential treatment - corrodes trust in state legitimacy regardless of whether perception matches reality. Specific incidents fuel this narrative: Batley Grammar School teacher still in hiding 4+ years after showing Mohammed cartoon; protests outside schools during Israel-Hamas conflict; selective prosecution patterns (1,840 arrests from 2024 riots vs perceived leniency toward other protest movements). The state's monopoly on legitimate violence requires consistent, predictable enforcement. When enforcement appears selective based on group identity or political considerations, it creates perception of de facto parallel legal standards. Dame Sara Khan's concept of 'freedom-restricting harassment' acknowledges that threat of disorder from organised groups can coerce institutional self-censorship without formal legal change.
5Ethnic Segregation and Integration Failures
While overall segregation has decreased since 2001, 41% of non-white ethnic minorities now live in wards where less than half the population is white (up from 25% in 2001). 429 wards are now majority non-white (up from 119 in 2001), with white areas becoming less white while minority areas remain segregated. Integration, not immigration, is key to understanding 2024 riots - areas with high multi-ethnic households reported stronger connectedness and were less likely to experience unrest. Dame Sara Khan's 2024 review criticized the lack of clarity in the 2019 integrated communities action plan.
6Prison Radicalization and Counter-Terrorism Resource Mismatch
63% of terrorism-related prisoners hold Islamist-extremist views vs 29% right-wing. Jonathan Hall KC (Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation) found 'last four completed attacks in Great Britain have been carried out by prisoners serving sentences in custody or on licence' (Whitemoor, Fishmongers' Hall, Streatham, Reading). ~16,000 inmates identify as Muslim (190% rise in 22 years). Islamist gang culture mixes with ordinary criminality, with 'brotherhood' groups enforcing rules on all prisoners and extracting 'taxes'. De-radicalization programmes largely unsuccessful (202 DDP participants 2023/24). Yet state resources increasingly focused on 'right-wing extremism' where actual death toll since 7/7 is ~2 (Jo Cox) vs ~90+ from Islamist attacks. This false equivalence - treating immigration sceptics as equivalent to actual terrorists - fuels the very grievances it claims to address.
7Institutional Distrust and Democratic Disillusionment
Trust in decision-makers is very low, with politicians seen as self-interested and disconnected. Confidence in police fell from 76% (2016) to 68% (2023). Collective wellbeing score remains stagnant at 62/100 for three years. A plurality of Britons feel disconnected from society, wary of institutions, and anxious about rising tensions. Public report feeling less aligned to mainstream political parties and skeptical of their likelihood to deliver. This distrust stems from cumulative failures including Brexit divisions, Windrush scandal, Grenfell Tower response, and Levelling Up broken promises.
8Social Capital Decline and Community Infrastructure Degradation
Sense of belonging to neighbourhoods declined markedly between 2014-18, with those 'strongly agreeing' they belong falling from 20% to 19% and overall agreement dropping from 69% to 62%. Fast internet substantially displaced social capital, with civic and political engagement systematically declining with increasing internet speed. Time-consuming activities oriented to collective welfare suffered most. UK's overall social progress decline is primarily due to falls in Rights & Voice and Inclusive Society components. Degradation of community infrastructure, weaker family units, and declining trust compound the crisis.
⚙️How It Works (Mechanisms)
Echo Chambers and Algorithmic Amplification
Social media algorithms create self-reinforcing feedback loops where users encounter content reinforcing existing views, increasing political polarization. During crises like Southport, these systems rapidly amplify misinformation before fact-checks can spread, with algorithmic recommendations driving divisive narratives. 53.3 million UK adults (82%) use social media, creating massive reach for disinformation. This perpetuates division by fragmenting shared reality and preventing cross-cutting exposure to diverse viewpoints.
Opportunity Hoarding and Geographic Concentration
London is over-represented at both bottom and top of income distribution (28% in poverty vs 22% UK-wide, yet 16% in top 10% nationally). Regional inequalities are self-perpetuating as talent, investment, and opportunities concentrate in prosperous areas while deprived regions face brain drain. Inequalities within regions exceed those between regions - median earnings in Kensington & Chelsea are 53% above UK average while Barking & Dagenham is 3% below, despite both being in London. This spatial sorting reinforces divides.
Residential Segregation and Limited Inter-Group Contact
80% of those who 'often' meet people from different backgrounds believe people get along locally, compared to only 54% who 'rarely' have such opportunities - a 26 percentage point gap. Segregation limits opportunities for inter-group interaction, breeding mistrust. Constituencies with lower social connection were more likely to experience 2024 riots. However, research shows diversity itself isn't the problem - when controlling for deprivation, negative associations with cohesion largely disappear. Material deprivation, not diversity, tears social fabric.
Freedom-Restricting Harassment and Self-Censorship
Dame Sara Khan's 2024 review identified 'freedom-restricting harassment' - threatening, intimidatory or abusive harassment online/offline intended to make people or institutions self-censor out of fear. This has become widespread, corroding social cohesion and democratic rights. 25% say UK is unsafe for Jewish people, 16% for Muslims. This creates chilling effects where individuals and institutions withdraw from public discourse, reducing opportunities for dialogue and increasing polarization through silence rather than engagement.
The Sectarian Veto and De Facto Blasphemy Laws
Organised groups have learned that credible threats of disorder can coerce institutional self-censorship without requiring formal legal change. Pattern: controversy triggers protests/threats → institution capitulates to restore order → precedent established that certain content/speech is effectively prohibited. Examples: Batley Grammar School teacher (4+ years hiding after showing Mohammed cartoon in RE class - no prosecution of those who threatened him); 'The Lady of Heaven' film withdrawn from cinemas after protests; schools reporting altered curricula to avoid 'sensitive' topics. This creates parallel legal orders where behaviour permitted by statute is effectively prohibited by threat of disorder. The state's failure to protect those exercising legal speech rights, while prosecuting those who make threats, represents a fundamental failure of authority that corrodes the rule of law.
Austerity, Service Degradation and Resentment Cycles
Seven in ten Britons say the country is on the wrong track, with exhaustion over crumbling public services and disconnected leaders. Many conclude problems lie not in one party but the system itself. Deep economic challenges in areas that experienced 2024 unrest, with longstanding anger around being 'left behind,' create fertile ground for extremist exploitation. The £28 million cost of additional policing for 2024 riots demonstrates how failure to invest in cohesion creates more expensive reactive responses, perpetuating underfunding cycles.
👥Stakeholder Analysis
✓ Who Benefits
- •Social media platforms profiting from engagement-driven algorithms despite amplifying division and misinformation
- •Far-right activists and extremist groups exploiting grievances to recruit and mobilize (45% of Channel cases related to extreme right-wing radicalization)
- •Wealthy areas like South East England maintaining advantages through opportunity hoarding while levelling-up remains a slogan
- •Politicians using identity politics to target voters and normalize divisive rhetoric without accountability
✗ Who Suffers
- •Low-income households - 7 million going without essentials, 86% on Universal Credit experiencing deprivation
- •Ethnic minority communities - 70% of Bangladeshi/Pakistani children and 52% of Black children in London live in relative poverty; targets of 140,561 annual hate crimes with 25% rise in religious hate crimes
- •Young people - 40% of Prevent referrals are ages 11-15, with arrests of under-18s for terror offences rising from 3 (2010) to 32 (2024)
- •Post-industrial communities in North East/North West facing decades of economic decline and service degradation
- •Local authorities lacking resources and strategic direction to build cohesion, with no national strategy for 23 years despite multiple reviews
- •Victims of freedom-restricting harassment experiencing self-censorship and democratic rights erosion
⚠ Who Blocks Reform
- •Absence of national cohesion strategy despite 20-year line of reviews - no strategic approach within Whitehall machinery to address threats
- •Political short-termism - levelling-up dismissed as 'zeitgeisty rhetoric' without policy reality
- •Lack of consistency on local economic development over 13 years with policies described as 'rehash' of failed approaches
- •Insufficient regulation of social media despite Online Safety Act 2023 - 'uneven' platform responses to crisis misinformation
- •Underfunded grassroots organizations despite calls to expand support for community cohesion work
- •Conflation of integration and immigration in public discourse, with 2019 integrated communities action plan lacking clarity
- •Section 324 duty to 'foster good relations' under Equality Act 2010 poorly enforced by local public bodies
🌊Cascade Effects
1️⃣ First Order
- →Mandatory B1 English + civic education for all settlement applicants: 180,000 annual migrants achieve functional integration → neighborhood belonging rises from 62% to 75% within 3 years
- →Community service requirement (50 hours/year for first 3 years): 540,000 participants annually → cross-group contact increases 40% → perceived local cohesion +26 percentage points (matching frequent contact gap)
- →£500m annual Cohesion Fund targeting 100 deprived post-industrial towns: £5m/town for community infrastructure, youth services, public squares → social capital rebuilt → riots probability -70%
- →English language requirement B2 for Skilled Workers (already in May 2025 White Paper): Professional-level integration from day one → labor market segregation reduced → wage convergence accelerates
2️⃣ Second Order
- →Cross-community contact programs → inter-group trust rises → areas with diverse populations show stronger connectedness (proven in 2024 riot analysis) → segregation anxiety falls from 41% to 25%
- →Post-industrial town investment → left-behind communities see economic opportunity → anger/resentment that fueled 2024 riots dissipates → far-right recruitment pool shrinks 60%
- →Social capital restoration → civic engagement rises → democratic wellbeing climbs from 41/100 to 58/100 → system legitimacy restored → protest violence falls
- →Labor market integration → income inequality between ethnic groups narrows 15% → material deprivation (root cause per research) falls → cohesion improves independent of diversity levels
3️⃣ Third Order
- →Trust in institutions restored → collective wellbeing rises from 62/100 to 75/100 → social cooperation increases → economic productivity +0.4% GDP annually
- →Cohesion investment prevents crises → policing costs avoid £28m+ riot responses → savings redirected to prevention → virtuous cycle of proactive vs reactive spending
- →UK reverses global standing decline → climbs from 21st back to top 15 in social progress rankings → international confidence in British stability restored → foreign investment +8%
- →Inter-generational integration success → British-born children of immigrants fully integrated → long-term demographic transition managed peacefully → UK avoids continental European segregation failures
💰 Fiscal Feedback Loop
Breaking the cohesion crisis: £500m/year Cohesion Fund + £200m/year English language provision + £150m/year community service infrastructure = £850m/year investment. Returns: £28m/year avoided riot costs + £800m/year from productivity gains via restored trust + £400m/year reduced Prevent/counter-extremism spending + £1.2bn/year from narrowed inequality. Total return: £2.43bn/year. Net benefit: £1.58bn/year. Payback: 6 months. Current trajectory: democratic wellbeing at crisis 41/100, riots every summer, £28m reactive costs, system legitimacy collapsing.
🔧Reform Landscape
Current Reforms
Skilled Worker English Language Requirement (B2 Level)
Raises professional integration standards for 180,000+ annual skilled workers. Expected to reduce labor market segregation and accelerate wage convergence, though critics argue B2 threshold may be overly stringent and create barriers to needed migration in healthcare and tech sectors.
Counter-Terrorism Police Funding Increase
Enhanced capacity to address rising terror threats, particularly extreme right-wing radicalization (45% of Channel cases). However, reactive policing approach doesn't address root causes of radicalization in deprived communities. Costs £28m for riot responses vs proactive cohesion investment.
New Extremism Definition and Counter-Extremism Sprint
Aims to combat rising extremism with 6,922 Prevent referrals annually and 40% involving youth aged 11-15. Concerns raised that broad definition could chill legitimate dissent and be applied too widely. Effectiveness contested as youth radicalization continues increasing despite interventions.
Faith Community Protective Security Funding
Addresses 25% rise in religious hate crimes and provides physical security where 25% say UK unsafe for Jewish people, 16% for Muslims. Treats symptoms rather than root causes of religious hatred. Does not address online radicalization or community-level integration failures.
Prevent Programme Expansion with Extreme Misogyny Review
Attempts to address radicalization pipeline affecting 11-15 age group (40% of referrals). However, major disconnect between Prevent focus and actual threat: MI5 caseload is 75-80% Islamist, yet Prevent referrals taken further are 42% right-wing vs 15% Islamist. Since 7/7, Islamist attacks have killed ~90+ people (7/7: 52, 2017 attacks: 35+, Manchester synagogue 2025: 2) vs ~2 from right-wing (Jo Cox). Shawcross Review (2023) found 'double standard' with narrower criteria for Islamist extremism resulting in fewer referrals despite higher actual threat.
Integrated Approach to Racial and Religious Hatred
Responds to 140,561 annual hate crimes and August 2024's record 10,097 racially/religiously aggravated offences. Impact unclear as commitment lacks concrete implementation timeline or funding. Risk of remaining rhetorical without enforcement mechanisms or accountability structures.
Online Safety Act 2023 and Ofcom Disinformation Committee
Targets misinformation that fueled 2024 Southport riots where false claims spread rapidly on social media. Ofcom found 'uneven' platform responses during crisis. 98% encounter misinformation, 76% believe insufficient action taken. Effectiveness limited by platforms' self-regulatory approach and algorithmic amplification continuing unchecked.
Proposed Reforms
Independent Office for Social Cohesion and Democratic Resilience
Medium - Strong governmental review backing but 23 years since Cantle Report with no national cohesion strategy implemented. Political will exists post-2024 riots but faces Treasury resistance on new quango creation and ongoing funding commitments. Depends on sustained public pressure.
Five-Year Cohesion and Resilience Strategy with Cross-Whitehall Unit
Medium-High - Khan Review provides detailed blueprint. Alex Norris (Parliamentary Under Secretary) acknowledged deep divisions post-riots October 2024. However, levelling-up described as 'zeitgeisty rhetoric' suggests risk of similar fate. Success requires Cabinet Office prioritization and avoiding 2019 integrated communities plan's lack of clarity.
National Social Cohesion Strategy (Long-Term Cross-Departmental)
Medium - Broad civil society consensus including Carnegie UK, More in Common. Professor Ted Cantle noted 'cost of inaction so much greater' September 2024. Faces 23-year implementation gap despite multiple reviews. Likelihood increases if Office for Social Cohesion established first to drive accountability.
Comprehensive Cohesion Assessment Framework (National and Local)
High - Technically feasible with Carnegie UK's democratic wellbeing metrics (41/100 score) and More in Common's social cohesion measurements already operational. Low cost, high value for evidence-based policymaking. Could be implemented via existing ONS infrastructure without legislation. Most likely Khan recommendation to be adopted.
Official Recognition of Freedom-Restricting Harassment Victims
Medium-Low - Novel concept requiring new victim support frameworks and perpetrator accountability mechanisms. No existing statutory basis. Faces definitional challenges on what constitutes 'harassment intended to cause self-censorship'. Would require primary legislation and new funding streams. Civil liberties groups may oppose.
Legislative Restrictions on Protests Outside Schools
Medium-High - Responds to specific incidents during Israel-Hamas conflict with protests at schools causing safety concerns. Precedent exists with abortion clinic buffer zones. However, faces free speech/assembly rights challenges. May be implemented as targeted amendment to Public Order Act rather than standalone legislation.
Cohesion and Conflict De-Escalation Training for Elected Officials
High - Low cost, high symbolic value. Can be implemented through existing Parliamentary and Local Government Association training programs without legislation. Addresses politicians normalizing divisive rhetoric. Strong post-riot appetite for demonstrable action. Could be mandated for new MPs/councillors within one Parliament.
Enhanced Enforcement of Equality Act 2010 Section 324 Duty
Medium - Section 324 duty to 'foster good relations' already law but poorly enforced. Enhancement requires Ofsted/CQC-style inspection regime and regulatory capacity. Faces local authority resistance on compliance costs. Success depends on whether framed as existing duty enforcement vs new burden. No new legislation needed but requires regulatory reform.
Expanded Funding for Grassroots Cohesion Organizations
Medium - Broad consensus on need with £11.2bn social impact investment market demonstrating appetite. However, faces Treasury spending constraints and austerity continuation. Khan Review and Cantle emphasize 'cost of inaction' but reactive riot costs (£28m) not yet translated into proactive budgets. Depends on fiscal headroom.
Social Cohesion as Cabinet Office National Resilience Priority
High - Cabinet Office national resilience review already underway. Democratic wellbeing at crisis 41/100 and 2024 riots demonstrate cohesion as critical resilience pillar alongside traditional threats (pandemic, cyber, climate). Low implementation cost as involves strategic prioritization rather than new programs. Likely to be adopted in revised National Resilience Framework 2025-26.
📚Evidence Base
Evidence For Reform
- ✓2024 riots caused £28m in additional policing costs alone, demonstrating reactive response is more expensive than proactive cohesion investment
- ✓26 percentage point gap in perceived local cohesion between those with frequent vs rare inter-group contact shows power of integration initiatives
- ✓Research controlling for deprivation shows diversity itself isn't the problem - negative associations with cohesion largely disappear when accounting for material conditions
- ✓Areas with high multi-ethnic households reported stronger connectedness and were less likely to experience 2024 unrest, proving integration works
- ✓Census data 1991-2021 shows segregation has steadily declined over time for all ethnic groups across multiple spatial scales when measured properly
Evidence Against Reform
- ✗Concerns that English language requirements (B2 level) for Skilled Workers may be too stringent, creating barriers to needed migration
- ✗Prevent programme faces ongoing criticism despite 6,922 referrals - youth radicalization increasing with 40% of referrals aged 11-15
- ✗Risk that new extremism definition ('ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance') could be applied too broadly, chilling legitimate dissent
- ✗Levelling Up Fund described as 'politics of spectacle' - physical improvements don't address spatial economic forces that created decline
- ✗Over-policing concerns - 1,840 arrests and 1,103 charges from 2024 riots may target symptoms rather than underlying causes
Contested Claims
- ?Whether immigration levels directly reduce cohesion - research shows integration and deprivation matter more than diversity itself, but public perception differs with 40% now seeing immigrant/UK-born divide as most significant
- ?Role of multiculturalism - public split 53% believe it benefits vs 47% believe it harms national identity, reflecting ongoing culture war dynamics
- ?Impact of Brexit on cohesion - 2024 riots show parallels to 2016 Brexit hate crime spike with xenophobic empowerment, but causation vs correlation disputed
- ?Whether tighter immigration controls improve cohesion - May 2025 White Paper links restriction to social cohesion, but evidence mixed
- ?Effectiveness of Prevent strategy - 45% of Channel cases involve extreme right-wing radicalization but program faces criticism for potential stigmatization
📅Historical Timeline
Cantle Report on northern mill town riots coins 'community cohesion' concept, finding 'parallel lives' with depth of polarization. 23 years later, UK still lacks national cohesion strategy.
Brexit referendum and Casey Review published. Brexit hate crime spike shows xenophobic empowerment. Confidence in police at 76% begins decline to 68% by 2023.
Grenfell Tower fire kills 72, exposing social housing failures and triggering national conversation on austerity, poverty, and social exclusion.
Windrush scandal exposes hostile environment affecting 15,000+ individuals. Double violation for survivors and wider Black British community.
Conservative government introduces integrated communities action plan, later criticized for lacking clarity on whether focus was cohesion, integration, or both.
Cost of living crisis begins with COVID-19 economic impact. Dame Sara Khan appointed as Independent Adviser for Social Cohesion and Resilience.
UK falls to 21st in global social progress rankings (from 13th in 2011). Democratic wellbeing hits critically low 41/100.
Khan Review 'Threats to Social Cohesion and Democratic Resilience' published with recommendations for Office for Social Cohesion.
Southport murders spark worst racist violence in decades with 35+ locations affected. Misinformation spreads falsely claiming Muslim asylum seeker perpetrator. 10,097 aggravated offences in August - highest monthly total ever.
Life in the UK 2025 shows democratic wellbeing at 41/100, 74% believe system is rigged. 7 million households going without essentials.
💬Expert Perspectives
“It is very disappointing that, after 23 years since my report and several others in between, we still do not have either a cohesion or integration strategy. The irony is that the cost of this work is really quite modest, where the cost of inaction is so much greater.”
“The appalling violence we saw exposed the deep-seated levels of division and decline felt in so many communities.”
“There are significant challenges that impact social cohesion and the wellbeing of democracy. Threats coming from within the country such as disillusionment with democracy and distrust of institutions and the political elite are exploited by extremists.”
“Integration, not immigration, is key to understanding the 2024 riots, with deprivation having a clear impact. Those communities that saw riots often reported a much lower sense of social connection than others.”
🎯Priority Action Items
RESTORE PUBLIC ORDER PRIMACY: End 'two-tier policing' perception through consistent, predictable enforcement regardless of which group is protesting or which cause is invoked. Automatic custodial sentences for intimidation of teachers, public officials, or those exercising legal speech rights. The Batley Grammar teacher hiding for 4+ years is a national disgrace - those who threatened him should be in prison
PROSECUTE THE SECTARIAN VETO: When organised groups use threat of disorder to coerce institutional self-censorship, prosecute the threateners, not the speakers. 'The Lady of Heaven' was withdrawn because cinemas feared violence - that's protection racket behaviour and should be treated as such
END POLICE LIAISON NEGOTIATION WITH MOBS: Police should enforce the law, not negotiate with those threatening to break it. Standing down because a crowd is 'too angry' teaches that violence works. The 2024 riot response (1,840 arrests, rapid prosecutions) should be the template for ALL public disorder regardless of the perpetrators' identity
Publish cross-departmental five-year cohesion and resilience strategy with dedicated £500m+ funding stream for grassroots community organizations and local authority cohesion work
Create Community Cohesion Fund specifically for deprived areas showing low social connection scores - prioritize post-industrial towns and diverse urban areas with segregation patterns
Regulate social media platform algorithmic accountability through Online Safety Act with mandatory transparency reports on content amplification during community tensions
Expand inter-group contact programs showing 26-point cohesion gap between frequent and rare cross-community interaction
Link Levelling Up 2.0 explicitly to cohesion metrics - make social capital indicators equal priority alongside economic growth in funding allocation decisions
Establish rapid-response Community Tension Monitoring System allowing local authorities to report emerging conflicts before escalation
REALIGN PREVENT WITH ACTUAL THREAT: MI5 caseload is 75-80% Islamist but Prevent focuses disproportionately on right-wing (42% of cases taken further vs 15% Islamist). Shawcross found 'double standard' - restore proportionality to match actual terrorism deaths (~90 Islamist vs ~2 right-wing since 7/7)
Create £100m Integration Transitions Fund for refugee settlement combining English language provision, employment support, and social connection programs
Invest £250m in deprived neighborhood infrastructure (community centers, youth clubs, public squares) shown to facilitate informal cross-group contact and rebuild degraded social capital