Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The UK's antiterrorism laws are robust enough to meet new challenges, a new report has found.
Jonathan Hall KC, the UK's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has assessed whether existing laws needed to be tightened to cover incendiary chants and flag waving.
The UK is braced for thousands of people to attend London on Saturday for a major pro-Palestine protest march calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Previous marches have sparked calls from officials urging police to take action against protesters who are waving flags and chanting.
However, Mr Hall KC, in his latest report, has stepped back from calling for more intrusive measures which he believes would be a knee-jerk reaction when adequate powers already exist.
“My overall conclusion is that there is no need to legislate for any amendments to terrorism legislation now, and good reason for caution,” he said.
“It is difficult to identify any real situations where a gap in terrorism legislation means that terrorist mischief cannot currently be addressed by arrest and prosecution. Given the number of pro-Palestine marchers, there have been plenty of opportunities for gaps to become apparent.
“There may well be other mischiefs (such as anti-Semitism) but those are not a subject for terrorism legislation.
“It is possible to formulate hypothetical situations where certain words used might, arguably, fall outside terrorism legislation. However, to legislate for hypotheticals would be bad practice: the success of UK terrorism legislation is that it adapts in response to real terrorist harm.
“I am also conscious that if speculative examples were given by me (or during Parliamentary debates) of forms of words potentially falling outside terrorism legislation, it might inspire bad actors to use those forms of words, before amending legislation could be brought into force.
“There is a general risk of legislating in response to one set of protests because of the risk of unintended consequences when new legislation comes to be applied to other protests.
“Finally, I am conscious that real cases are currently before the courts. Where the edges of the current law are being tested out it would be premature to conclude that reform is necessary.”
Mr Hall KC said current legislation was sufficient to provide officers with powers to tackle people encouraging terrorism, such as controversial chanting, and said any efforts to make it more robust could have unintended consequences that could damage freedom of speech.
“The practical implications of a glorifying offence should be considered. A mere glorification offence would apply to the thousands (if not millions) of people online whose sick pleasure it is to engage in competitive praise for, create artwork from, gamify, and generally indulge in transgressive glorification of violence including terrorist violence,” he said.
“In a previous report I recommended that it would not be possible to make it a terrorist offence to possess violent terrorist propaganda, principally because of the number of people who would end up being prosecuted as terrorists. The same point applies here.
“It does no favours to the police, MI5, and His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service to extend the pool of terrorist offences unnecessarily.”
He said any changes would overload the police, prisons and intelligence services.
The police have faced mounting challenges from mass protest marches taking place across the country against the war in Gaza.
The last one on November 11 saw 126 arrests made.
Ahead of the march, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman had branded pro-Palestinian demonstrators “hate marchers” and was accused of encouraging unrest due to her rhetoric. It led to her sacking.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
