Anglican head warns UK's new extremism definition risks division

Welby and his de facto deputy in the Church of England, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, said in a joint statement on Tuesday that the new definition "risks disproportionately targeting Muslim communities, who are already experiencing rising levels of hate and abuse."

Senior minister Michael Gove is expected to produce the new official definition later this week, following on from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's warning earlier this month of a "shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality".

Sunak's comments, made in a Downing Street address to the nation, came after regular pro-Palestinian protests in London, which have seen arrests for anti-Semitism and isolated incidents of violence.

Welby told BBC radio on Wednesday that leaks and press reports of the new definition suggested it "has a danger of hollowing out the centre... and driving people to one extreme or the other", which he said was "very, very dangerous".

In their joint statement on Tuesday, Welby and Cottrell warned that it could end up "labelling a multi-faceted problem as hateful extremism" and "may instead vilify the wrong people".

It could also threaten freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest, they said.

"We join calls for the government to reconsider its approach," added the senior clerics.

Welby has also criticised the government over its plan to send asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda.