The Home Office is actually considering allowing school teachers to report ‘misogynistic’ comments made by teenage boys, to the UK’s anti-terrorism programme.

The government’ Prevent programme, was set up origianally to combat Islamic extremists, but now even comments about a “woman’s place being in the kitchen” could be enough to spark a referral to the unit.

Critics say the move would dilute Prevent’s work in deradicalising potential terrorists at a time of huge global tensions.

The Mail Online reports: The plan – which would place sexism on a par with Islamic extremism – was discussed in high-level meetings between Home Office and Prevent experts in recent weeks. The Home Office is looking at widening the Prevent programme to combat growing misogyny among teenagers, fuelled by vile social media influencers such as Andrew Tate, but some civil servants warn the plans risk reducing the anti-radicalisation unit to becoming “a wing of social services”.

One Prevent source said last night: “Lots of young boys hold extreme sexist views about girls, which teachers will hear and make referrals. This will then overload the system, and Prevent will not be able to concentrate on Islamist or far-Right extremism.”

Last year, a highly-critical Government report accused Prevent of a “loss of focus” and warned the public were increasingly at risk because the body had become distracted by far-Right and mental health cases rather than concentrating on Islamists.

Leading terrorism experts cautioned against the plans last night. …

Lord Carlile of Berriew, the former Independent Reviewer of Counter-Terror Legislation, warned that Prevent should not police misogynistic thoughts. …

“Prevent is not there for every expression of a thought that might be misogynistic. Prevent is a counter-terrorism measure, not a counter-extremism measure, so if cases are going to be referred to Prevent, they have to be of quite a high level.”