the world must be a safer place in 2014, or maybe the U.S. is doing the heavy lifting
Foreign and Commonwealth Office halves its counter-terrorism budget
By Sam Jones, Defence and Security Editor
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has halved its counter-terrorism budget even as officials warn of the most severe threat to the UK from overseas terror groups since the London bombings in 2005.
The spiralling regional conflict in Syria and Iraq has become a magnet for jihadis fighting with al-Qaeda-linked organisations, including 500 Britons and 3,000 Europeans, according to security officials.
Under a drive to slimline the diplomatic service, the Foreign Office’s counter-terrorism unit – one of its biggest specialist areas – will have its budget cut from £30m annually to £15m, two officials familiar with the plans told the Financial Times.
The cuts come as Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism police officer, Cressida dikk, an assistant commissioner, warned on Sunday that Britain would be dealing with the risk of such individuals returning to the UK to commit atrocities for “many years”.
Prime Minister David Cameron said last week that radical Islamist forces fighting in Iraq were the country’s number-one security concern.
Western intelligence agencies have been scrambling to collate names of citizens either already fighting in the conflicts or trying to reach them. The Foreign Office plays a role in sharing such lists where they can.
A list of nearly 5,000 individuals has been assembled by the Turkish government thanks to such efforts, but it is still far from complete. Turkey is the main transport point for jihadis seeking to reach Syria.
“Countering terrorism is one of the government’s top priorities and it therefore remains one of the FCO’s largest programmes,” the department said. “The FCO is not decreasing its work in this area – instead we are increasing our resources on the highest priority terrorist threats to the UK and UK interests, such as the Middle East and Africa.”
Having fewer dedicated counter-terrorism officials will nevertheless damage the UK’s efforts, some in the intelligence community say. “One of the biggest challenges in the next few years is going to be dealing with this issue internationally,” said one senior government adviser.
Last week, William Hague, foreign secretary, offered to send counter-terrorism officials to Baghdad as part of Britain’s support for the Iraqi government as it battles a jihadi insurgency that has brought the country to its knees.
The plan, which includes cutting 35 of the 85 permanent staff posts in the division, is part of measures designed to shave £100m off the annual Foreign Office budget by next year.
Overall, the UK still spends significant amounts on counter-terrorism work. The budget for the three intelligence agencies, which dedicate a significant proportion of their work to combating violent extremism, is to rise £100m to more than £2bn by next year.
goat
Foreign and Commonwealth Office halves its counter-terrorism budget
By Sam Jones, Defence and Security Editor
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has halved its counter-terrorism budget even as officials warn of the most severe threat to the UK from overseas terror groups since the London bombings in 2005.
The spiralling regional conflict in Syria and Iraq has become a magnet for jihadis fighting with al-Qaeda-linked organisations, including 500 Britons and 3,000 Europeans, according to security officials.
Under a drive to slimline the diplomatic service, the Foreign Office’s counter-terrorism unit – one of its biggest specialist areas – will have its budget cut from £30m annually to £15m, two officials familiar with the plans told the Financial Times.
The cuts come as Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism police officer, Cressida dikk, an assistant commissioner, warned on Sunday that Britain would be dealing with the risk of such individuals returning to the UK to commit atrocities for “many years”.
Prime Minister David Cameron said last week that radical Islamist forces fighting in Iraq were the country’s number-one security concern.
Western intelligence agencies have been scrambling to collate names of citizens either already fighting in the conflicts or trying to reach them. The Foreign Office plays a role in sharing such lists where they can.
A list of nearly 5,000 individuals has been assembled by the Turkish government thanks to such efforts, but it is still far from complete. Turkey is the main transport point for jihadis seeking to reach Syria.
“Countering terrorism is one of the government’s top priorities and it therefore remains one of the FCO’s largest programmes,” the department said. “The FCO is not decreasing its work in this area – instead we are increasing our resources on the highest priority terrorist threats to the UK and UK interests, such as the Middle East and Africa.”
Having fewer dedicated counter-terrorism officials will nevertheless damage the UK’s efforts, some in the intelligence community say. “One of the biggest challenges in the next few years is going to be dealing with this issue internationally,” said one senior government adviser.
Last week, William Hague, foreign secretary, offered to send counter-terrorism officials to Baghdad as part of Britain’s support for the Iraqi government as it battles a jihadi insurgency that has brought the country to its knees.
The plan, which includes cutting 35 of the 85 permanent staff posts in the division, is part of measures designed to shave £100m off the annual Foreign Office budget by next year.
Overall, the UK still spends significant amounts on counter-terrorism work. The budget for the three intelligence agencies, which dedicate a significant proportion of their work to combating violent extremism, is to rise £100m to more than £2bn by next year.
goat