Conservatives: Extremism measures come too late

Measures announced today to tackle radicalisation by cracking down on extremist websites have received Conservative backing.

Shadow security minister Baroness Neville-Jones described Jacqui Smith's comments as "a positive step in the fight against extremism".

But she said the move was being made "much too late" and launched a wide-ranging attack on government policy.

Baroness Neville-Jones said the government should have banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, condemned the long-term strategy of multiculturalism and described its pre-charge detention policy as a "recruiting sergeant for terrorists".

"The government started talking about tackling radicalisation as far back as 2003, but since then we have had the 7/7 terrorist attacks and as far back as 2004 the prime minister's delivery unit said that 'forward planning is disjointed or has yet to occur'," she added.

"Why has it taken so long for the government to organise its response to this serious issue?"