Paul Stott
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Covers:
Islamism, politics, extremism, the political fringe, conspiracy theory
Writer and researcher. Views, good and bad, all my own. #UTP.
'A rush and a push and the land that we stand on is ours.'
Articles by Paul Stott
Why did Britain give a Hamas chief's bodyguard a passport?
The failure of the British state is long-term and corrosive. It emerged this weekend that Mr X, a former bodyguard of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, was allowed to settle in the UK and given British citizenship – before going on to allegedly coordinate a Hamas terror plot in Germany. He also faces separate terror charges in this country.
Policy Exchange - Mixed Messages
Policy Exchange’s new report into police Staff Networks raises key questions over impartiality. The report in particular examines the activities of the National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) and local force-level Muslim Police Associations finding examples of these organisations becoming involved in some of the most contentious policy issues of the day and platforming individuals and organisations with highly questionable backgrounds.
I Intend to Escape..... and Come Back
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The Islamopopulist march continues
Overshadowed by the Reform and Green surges, the Muslim vote continues a long march through the corridors of power Thursday’s elections left us overwhelmed with political headlines. Starmer’s potential end, Reform turning the Red Wall turquoise, the Greens kicking Labour out of long held London strongholds, Scottish and Welsh nationalism ascendant.
Islamopopulism Part 2 - Policy Exchange
At last week’s English local elections, at least 100 Muslim independent councillors were elected, adding to the dozens already in place and the four Muslim independent MPs elected in 2024. It was the clearest proof yet that, as well as populist parties of right and left, Britain faces a growing populist movement among its four million Muslims. While independents are the movement’s most prominent standard-bearers, it is also finding a home in the Green Party and Your Party.
Will Downing Street name the ideology behind anti-Semitism?
There’s a case for arguing that this has been the worst year for Jews in Britain since Edward I ordered their expulsion in 1290. This sense of growing peril explains why the Prime Minister has summoned police chiefs, civil society organisations and politicians to a ‘Forum on tackling anti-Semitism’ first thing tomorrow at No. 10 Downing Street.
Worldviews apart
There are disturbing differences between how British Muslims and non-Muslims see the world No one can definitively predict the outcome of the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. But what does the man or woman on the Clapham omnibus think about it?
The politics of the ‘Muslim vote’
British politics looks very different today. Opinion polls suggested for some months that the Greens could challenge and defeat Labour in its traditional seats – Hannah Spencer has now gone and done it. With Reform’s Matt Goodwin pushing Labour into third, Keir Starmer is now being pulled apart from all sides. The issue of Gaza was central to Spencer’s campaign, rooted in the Gorton half of the constituency with a high number of Muslim voters.
The left has become the right and the right has become the left
One of the themes I have posted about consistently on social media for many years, is the changing focus of the political left and the political right, a shift which now burrows down into their very guts. Brexit brought the clearest examples of this - Boris Johnson’s famous declaration of “Fuck business” while some on the left ran around complaining that the UK could not possibly leave the single market - one of Mrs Thatcher’s most significant creations.
An unhappy year in an unhappy nation
One of the writers I have enjoyed discovering this year is Dan Evans, a left-leaning commentator and academic from Cardiff. He has a very sober analysis of the decaying state of his local patch, in a recent issue of Tribune. Try this for size: Thanks for reading I Intend to Escape..... and Come Back! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. “Across the UK, people are bubbling with rage.
On Technocratic Elites
Off the pace as ever, I am currently reading Volume 5 Number 1 of the journal Hungarian Conservative - when the publication has now reached the fourth and final issue of 2025. My attention was held by Doug Stokes article “From Buda to Brussels: Sovereignty under Europe’s Technocratic Regime” which serves to document in theoretical terms how the European Union views Hungary, and some of the thinking behind the process by which Viktor Orban’s Government is placed on the naughty step by Brussels.
On American, Europe and the European Movement
Ed Davey was in full flow in the House of Commons today, for Keir Starmer to turn towards Europe, dismissing concerns about the continent’s (self-evident) decline and arguing President Putin is the biggest winner from the new American national security strategy. How times change.
Prompted by the blob, are these the ideas the Home Secretary will pick up?
Earlier this month, the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice released a report proposing a major reset of the UK’s counter-extremism and counter-terrorism policies.
Bring ISIS fighters to Britain? The Blob has lost the plot
A new ‘independent’ review into counter-terror law wants us to fight terrorism by repatriating terrorists to Britain. Share Topics Politics UK Want unlimited, ad-free access? Become a spiked supporter. Last week, the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice published its final report.
Bring ISIS fighters to Britain? The Blob has lost the plot
A new ‘independent’ review into counter-terror law wants us to fight terrorism by repatriating terrorists to Britain. Share Topics Politics UK Want unlimited, ad-free access? Become a spiked supporter. Last week, the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice published its final report.
The Islamophobia Definition Observatory Launched
On Monday Policy Exchange published The Islamophobia Definition Observatory, written by Andrew Gilligan and myself. The report documents the debate about a definition of Islamophobia, ever since then Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner established the Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia definition working group. It also details the intention of activist groups to use any definition in a very particular way - deploying it to critique everything from immigration policy to counter-terrorism programmes.
Down with Popular Frontism
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Are we about to get an Islamophobia tsar?
Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik speaks to the media during at press conference in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 12 September 2025 - Bianca De Marchi/EPA/Shutterstock Has the Government’s plan to introduce a definition of Islamophobia stalled? Recent briefings to the media suggest officials are now opposed to the idea; while new Communities Secretary Steve Reed has made much of a willingness to veto any proposal which threatens free speech.
We’re making the same mistakes after the Manchester attack
The terrorist attack on a Manchester synagogue – on the morning of Yom Kippur – can be described as a lot of things. Horrific, shocking, vile, but it was a not a surprise. Britain has been heading in this direction for many years. While the 7/10 attacks, the worst slaughter of Jews since the Second World War, brought antisemitic terrorism into global focus, Jews in Manchester already knew they were potential targets.
Sadiq Khan versus Trump, and Isolating The Problem
Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations, and the response of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, raises a series of fundamental issues about London, the United Kingdom and our democracy. But to stand any chance of addressing them, we have to start from the correct premise. Firstly, Trump is wrong about the Mayor. Sadiq Khan is not an Islamist.
London Transformed?
Prime Minister David Cameron said at a reception in Kuala Lumpur: “From the Shard to Chelsea Barracks, our capital city has been transformed by Islamic finance deals. But I want to see the benefits of Islamic finance reach far beyond that.
The police must reckon with their extremism problem
The arrest of a police officer in Gloucestershire, on suspicion of providing support to Hamas, is sobering. While it is too early to say if an offence has been committed in this instance, this potential case is far from unique. In June Mohammed Adil of Bradford was convicted of two terrorism offences, after sharing images in support of Hamas in October and November 2023.
The Greek guide to swearing an oath
A lawyer who wished to serve on a jury but was no Christian was given permission to swear his oath in the name of a local river. He saw it as “his god,” as people did in the past, when the association between nature and divinity was widely taken for granted. Consider, for example, the ancient Greek understanding of the natural world. The farmer poet Hesiod (c. 700 BC), often drawing on Hittite and Babylonian myths, provided the West with its first account of how the world was made.
Israel's attention is turning to Hezbollah
As its Gaza campaign cools, Israel’s attention is returning northwards. Approximately 60,000 Israelis from northern communities are still refugees. A reckoning between Israel and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah appears to be only a matter of time. Two significant strikes this week suggest that Israel is preparing for a potentially imminent major confrontation, and broadening the scope of its operations on the northern front.
The downfall of Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Ramadan, the grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood and a well-known figure in the Islamic world, has been convicted of the rape and sexual coercion of a woman in a Geneva hotel, after a court overturned an earlier acquittal. Professor Ramadan has been jailed for three years, two suspended, over the 2008 incident.
The decline and fall of Tariq Ramadan
Tariq Ramadan, the grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood and a well-known figure in the Islamic world, has been convicted of the rape and sexual coercion of a woman in a Geneva hotel, after a court overturned an earlier acquittal. Professor Ramadan has been jailed for three years, two suspended, over the 2008 incident. Unlimited access to spectator.com.au and app The weekly edition on the Spectator Australia app Spectator podcasts and newsletters Full access to spectator.co.uk Or
Iran promotes UK extremism - it must be stopped
Paul Stott August 31, 2024 at 11:40 AM·3 min read Iranian interference in the UK should be at the top of the Home Secretary’s 100-day review of counter-extremism. Both the director general of MI5, and the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, have detailed how Iran has sought to commit terrorist attacks in this country.
Keir Starmer and the truth about the Camden cadre
Since 1997, every new government has been defined by an inner-London postcode. Remember the David Cameron era ‘Notting Hill set?’ Tony Blair’s ‘Granita summit’ in 1994 with Gordon Brown and the frequently elicited mockery about the ‘Islington elite?’ Even Liz Truss lasted just long enough for a headline or two about her ‘Greenwich gang,’ which included her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.
Turning the tables on coercion?
Lord Walney’s report on political extremism is valuable if flawed In a substantive and heavyweight intervention, Lord Walney, the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, has today published a 131,000-word (!) report entitled “Protecting our Democracy from Coercion.” It serves as an important taxonomy on the “Red-Green” alliance that has dominated our streets in recent months. It is a report which brings both challenges and opportunities.
Modern-day slavery in Mauritania
In April 1864, the US Senate passed a bill that set in motion what would become the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Slavery was to be abolished. Seven months later, Union forces would burn Atlanta to the ground, a year after Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg marked the battle that began the South’s collapse and the April 1865 surrender of General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate army.
Policy Exchange - Tehran Calling
A new report by Policy Exchange ‘Tehran calling: The Iranian threat to the UK’ exposes the extent to which the Islamic Republic of Iran poses a unique challenge to both the security and social cohesion of the United Kingdom. An embargoed copy is attached to this email. Iran is a hostile state in the style of Russia or China: it seeks to interfere with our online systems and takes British citizens hostage.
Revolutionaries at Home, Revolutionaries Abroad: Iran and Its Networks in Europe
Abstract This chapter considers the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in seeking to develop and sustain influence in Western Europe. Whilst demographic and political realities limit the potential for Iran to lead revolutionary change in European nations, Iran punches above its weight in facilitating and encouraging a political Islam that is inimical to Western political practices such as liberal democracy.
George Galloway scores his electoral hat-trick: What next? - Policy Exchange
There are three big take-aways from events in Rochdale. Firstly George Galloway’s victory will inspire a series of challenges to Labour from pro-Palestinian candidates. This was happening anyway with Leanne Mohamad committed to standing against Wes Streeting in Ilford North, and Tasnime Akunjee taking on Rushanara Ali in Bethnal Green and Stepney.
Paul Stott: The Home Secretary's proscription of Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a major step forward, but only a start.
Dr Paul Stott is the Head of Security and Extremism at Policy Exchange Monday 15 January turned out to be a genuine blue Monday for officials, members, and supporters of the international Islamist group Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT). The Home Secretary has laid a draft order before parliament to seek its proscription. If agreed, this would see the organisation banned as early as 19 January. This is welcome news.
Paul Stott and Iain Mansfield: It's time for the Government to get a grip on school strikes
Dr Paul Stott is the Head of Security and Extremism at Policy Exchange. Iain Mansfield is the Director of Research and Head of Education at Policy Exchange. A single terror attack can reach around the world. Who would have thought Hamas’s attacks of 7 October, and the inevitable Israeli retaliation, would affect school attendance in Burton upon Trent? Over the weekend Policy Exchange published the first detailed report on the school strikes that spread across the country last month.
Shipbuilding Policy in the UK
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Growth capital prescribed to boost SEDA's expansion
SEDA Pharma Development Services Ltd SEDA Pharma Development Services Ltd are specialists when it comes to developing pharmaceutical drugs for medical trials. Paul Stott, CEO, and his team have spent years developing their state-of-the-art facilities in Cheadle. Having built a strong relationship, we were able to support their growth aspirations with a £5m Growth Capital loan.
Paul Stott: The counter-terror review. Incels, LASIT - and the changing threat from Islamists and the far right Original
Dr Paul Stott is the Head of Security and Extremism at Policy Exchange. As politicians cast an eye towards their sun loungers and the approaching parliamentary recess, Suella Braverman has been hard at work. Tuesday saw publication of the CONTEST Review – a five yearly re-examination of our counter-terrorism strategy. Much of it was in many ways familiar – that Russia, Iran and China are nations we have poor relations with, and who seek to do us harm, is not news. The times though, are changing.
No, the government should not 'do God'
Topics Identity Politics UK Way back in 2019, Colin Bloom, the UK government’s independent faith-engagement adviser, was commissioned to report on how the state ought to engage with religion. Some three prime ministers later and the fruit of Bloom’s labour, Does Government ‘Do God’?, has finally appeared. Coming in at around 60,000 words and published last month, it deserves to be discussed and debated. Bloom rightly reminds us that the UK is a successful multi-faith country.
How the Abedi brothers slipped through the net
While we’re at it, we ought to look at ourselves, too. As events in Wakefield last month have again reminded us, we prefer to look away when Islamist intolerance and violence raises its head. The time for embarrassed silence is over. The Manchester bombing poses deeply uncomfortable questions for our society. Some of the responses to the tragedy show contemporary Britain at its most gullible.
Paul Stott: The Prevent scheme. Time after time, promises of action are made - and nothing happens. Will it really be different this time?
Dr Paul Stott is the Head of Security and Extremism at Policy Exchange Suella Braverman’s commendation to Parliament a week ago today of William Shawcross’s Independent Review of the Prevent counter-terrorism strategy is the beginning rather than the end of a process. Perhaps understandably, the Home Secretary was at times punchy. Shawcross submitted his review back in April 2022, and a series of leaks had displayed a Home Office clearly divided by his findings.
The Tories can’t let naive bureaucrats take back control of counter-terror strategy
William Shawcross - Dominic Lipinski/PA William Shawcross’s independent review of the counter-terrorism Prevent strategy has been a very long time coming. First announced way back in January 2019 by the then security minister, Ben Wallace, Prime Minister Theresa May still had six months remaining in office. The previous review of Prevent had been published in 2011. After a false start under Lord Carlile (who anti-Prevent activists vigorously opposed) in January 2021, the baton passed to Shawcross.
The Trojan Horse Affair - Policy Exchange
Policy Projects Wolfson Economics Prize 2021 Understanding Islamism History Matters Project Judicial Power Project Policy Areas Crime & Justice Demography, Immigration and Integration Economics and Social Policy Education . Environment and Energy Foreign Policy and Security Government and Politics Health and Social Care Housing and Urban Regeneration International Trade . Industrial Strategy Space Security and Extremism Technology Policy
Paul Stott: It's time that British elites had a reality check about our relationship with Qatar
Dr Paul Stott is the Head of Security and Extremism at Policy Exchange. For the next month, or at least until England and Wales are knocked out, much of the country will be keeping an eye on events in Qatar, where the tiny Gulf state hosts one of the world’s premier sporting events: the World Cup.
Research Note: ‘The Lady of Heaven’ - Policy Exchange
Although Sunni Muslim Britons have been at the forefront of protests against the recently released film The Lady of Heaven, it was Iran which set the ball rolling in this campaign eighteen months ago – beginning with negative statements by senior regime officials. Just as Ayatollah Khomeini helped to stoke unrest in Britain when he issued a fatwa in 1989 against Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, so his successors prepared the ground for unrest in their attempt to ban The Lady of Heaven.
Why is Extinction Rebellion protesting against gender-critical feminists?
Following the activities of groups trying to ‘save the planet’ is not an easy task these days. Since the summer of 2018, we have been introduced to Extinction Rebellion (XR), Animal Rebellion, Ocean Rebellion, Money Rebellion, Roads Rebellion, Youth Rebellion (there’s a bit of a theme here), Insulate Britain and the newest kid on the block, Just Stop Oil. XR also has a network of local groups.
What is Islamism and why should it concern me?
7th September 2021 By Dr Paul Stott Background Briefing ‘What is Islamism, and why should it concern me?’ By Dr Paul Stott 7th September 2021 The term ‘Islamism’ is widely used in the media, contemporary political debates, and across society, yet is not always fully understood. This document seeks to answer basic questions about the term and offers a deeper understanding about an issue which concerns us all.
Lee 'Scratch’ Perry: chaotic, eccentric and utterly brilliant
Share Topics Culture World ‘Clint Eastwood is boss. Him tougher than Lee Van Cleef.’ As well as being one of the most important figures in the history of popular music, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry knew his spaghetti westerns. The death of Perry, a Jamaican reggae artist, at the age of 85 brings to the end a musical career that began well before many of his current listeners were born.
Kurt Westergaard: champion of free speech
Share Topics Free Speech Politics World Few people would ever have heard of Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard were it not for Islamism and its more deadly cousin, jihadism. A left-leaning school teacher who subsequently made a living from his drawings, Westergaard began working as a cartoonist for Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten (JP) in the 1980s. He had pushed back against suffocating religious teachings in his youth and came face-to-face with the same foe again late in his career.
Cressida Dick has failed upwards
Share Topics Politics UK July has been a typical month so far in the career of Britain’s most senior police officer, Cressida Dick. First, the Metropolitan Police lost control of crowds ahead of the Euro 2020 final. Some supporters were able to break into Wembley stadium without tickets, and the Football Association now faces serious sanctions from UEFA for failing to police the match properly.
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