David Cameron is expected to announce plans to crack down on extremism in the Queen’s speech, including powers to ban organisations, close down premises and gag individuals.
The legislation follows publication of the government’s counter-extremism strategy which also promised a full investigation into the application of sharia law in the UK.
The review has already been announced, but the Home Office is expected to appoint a chair shortly.
A Downing Street spokesman said he would not speculate on the contents of the Queen’s speech, to be held at the state opening of parliament on 18 May, but sources said that legislation was required to introduce the measures announced in October as part of the strategy.
It promised to ban radical preachers from posting material online, and bar anyone with extremist views from working with children. It also said that deradicalisation classes should be mandatory.
There are also plans to allow Ofcom to block broadcasts of “unacceptable extremist material”.
However, there appear to be questions still remaining. A Home Office source told the Times: “Getting agreement about the thresholds for what constitutes extremism and what needs to be protected as free speech is not going to be easy or straightforward.”
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