Speaking at a Policy Exchange conference in Washington DC, former Prime Minister David Cameron warned of the continuing threat to the West posed by Islamism. Paul Goodman observed on ConservativeHome that no other UK think tank has ‘the reach to bring together 50 or so experts, wonks, and diplomats in America’s capital for an event like this’

Policy Exchange’s Head of Security and Extremism Dr Martyn Frampton appeared in front of the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee to give evidence to its inquiry on hate crime and its violent consequences.

The first report produced by the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Max Hill QC, reveals a worrying tendency to engage with – and take at face value – a small minority of Islamist-influenced groups, rather than with the broad diversity of Britain’s Muslim communities. Policy Exchange’s Dr Martyn Frampton argues that these groups represent only a small fraction of British Muslims, yet Hill seems all too ready to accept their bona fides and treat their views as authoritative and representative.

The reaction to the appointment of Sara Khan as lead Commissioner for Countering Extremism has shown that Islamist narratives are still accorded too much prominence in national debates. Policy Exchange’s Hannah Stuart cautions politicians, officials and journalists who mistakenly give voice to Islamists claiming to speak on behalf of all Muslims.

Last week, Chuka Umunna spoke to Chatham House in a much-needed intervention on the state of British foreign policy.

In recent years, the British foreign policy debate has not kept up with the pace of global political and economic change. For that reason alone, there was much to commend in Umunna’s sense of urgency. To adapt to the challenges of the twenty-first century, as he put it, “we need to look ahead and develop a proper national strategy on the basis of a clear understanding of what our interests are”.