EXCLUSIVE: Cameron admits 'disease' of Islamic extremism will hang over his generation as he describes how he had to watch 'depraved' hostage beheading videos to understand British families' ordeal
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2940979/The-disease-Islamic-extremism-hang-generation-Cameron-admits-insists-Britain-doing-defeat-ISIS-monstrosity.html
- Prime Minister David Cameron gives exclusive interview to MailOnline
- Hits back at claims Britain is not doing enough to counter ISIS threat
- Warns it will take many, many years but says ISIS can be defeated
- However, the 'disease' of jihadist extremism is spreading worldwide
- Tory leader answers questions submitted by MailOnline readers
- He defends foreign aid billions and breaking promise to cut migration
- Boasts that the benefit cap is getting workless families into jobs
- Insists he is not scared of Farage and won't rule out Ukip coalition
- Says we no longer live in 'broken Britain' thanks to economic legacy
- Last used NHS when son stood on a wasps nest and was stung 60 times
- Wants to appear on Gogglebox and has heard 'Let It Go' too many times
The
threat posed by the 'disease' of Islamic extremism will last for a
generation, David Cameron warned today as he rejected claims Britain was
not doing enough to take on ISIS.
In
an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the Prime Minister insisted the
government was doing all it could to 'defeat the monstrosity of Isil'.
But he warned it would require 'long-term determination and perseverance' in a fight which might not end in his lifetime.
In an exclusive interview with
MailOnline, the Prime Minister insisted the government was doing all it
could to ’defeat the monstrosity of Isil’
In
a wide-ranging interview, answering questions submitted by MailOnline
readers, Mr Cameron defended spending billions on foreign aid and
breaking his promise to cut immigration.
The
PM insisted the benefit cap was getting people back to work and
suggested that we no longer live in what he once called 'broken
Britain'.
The Tory leader claimed he was not scared of Nigel Farage, while pointedly refusing to rule out a coalition with Ukip.
And
he revealed his last experience of using the NHS was when his son stood
on a wasps nest, admitted to being a fan of Gogglebox and like every
parent of young children spoke wearily of listening to the songs of
Disney film Frozen over and over again.
The disease is the Islamist extremism and that's what we have to fight, that's the narrative that we have to beat
Prime Minister David Cameron
Many
of the questions submitted by MailOnline readers demanded a tougher
response from Britain to the threat posed by ISIS, not least since the
horrific video posted online of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kassasbeh.
A
damning report from the defence select committee today blasted the UK’s
'tiny' contribution to the fight against ISIS, also known as Isil,
Daesh and Islamic State.
It found the UK has carried out just 6 per cent of air strikes against jihadists, the equivalent of just one per day.
But Mr Cameron told MailOnline: 'We are doing everything that we can to defeat the monstrosity of Isil.
'Look, we are taking action, we are the second nation in terms of bombing runs that have been carried out in Iraq.
'That
is making a difference on the ground and we are seeing the growth of
Iraqi security forces and Kurdish forces sweeping Isil out of parts of
Iraq and we need a long term plan for both Iraq and Syria so we defeat
Isil.'
The Prime Minister warned it would
require 'long-term determination and perseverance' to defeat ISIS - and
warned the struggle might not end in his lifetime
He
insisted countering the threat was about more than just military action.
'We have got to go after the hate preachers, we've got to go after the
radicalisation.
'We
have got to stop people travelling to Syria, we have got to prosecute
those who have been and been radicalised and would do us harm.
These
videos are absolutely horrific and depraved... I take the time to see
what they are doing so I understand what families have been going
through
'You
have seen actually a big growth in the number of people in Britain who
have been prosecuted and convicted for Islamist extremist violence. And
we need to keep up our guard.'
Mr
Cameron has read detailed reports of the latest video, in which
al-Kassasbeh was set alight, but he has not actually watched it in full.
He did, however, view the footage of British hostages being beheaded last year.
'These videos are absolutely horrific and depraved,' the Prime Minister said.
'And obviously I take the time to see what they are doing so I understand what families have been going through.'
Asked if Britain would be free of the jihadist threat in his lifetime, he admitted it was a battle which would last many years.
'I
think the threat of Islamist extremism is a threat that we are going to
face throughout this generation. It is going to be years rather than
months.'
Mr Cameron's warning comes just days
after ISIS released the horrific video of Jordanian pilot Moaz
al-Kassasbeh being burnt alive
Mr Cameron spoke exclusively to MailOnline on his way to Leeds to unveil the Tory economic plan for Yorkshire
While
ISIS could be defeated eventually in Iraq and Syria, the 'disease' of
Islamic extremism is spreading around the world and is harder to
contain, he warned.
'What
we have seen with Islamist extremism whether it is in Mali or Somalia
or Afghanistan is that the disease is not necessarily the individual
country.
'The disease is the Islamist extremism and that's what we have to fight, that's the narrative that we have to beat.
'We can overcome it because the overwhelming majority of Muslims want nothing to do with this.
'They think it is a perversion of their religion. And we need them to help us to fight it and snuff it out.
'It
can be done, we have seen movements like this eradicated in our
history. We just need to show the long term determination and
perseverance to do it in is case do.'
While ISIS could be defeated
eventually in Iraq and Syria, the 'disease' of Islamic extremism is
spreading around the world and is harder to contain, Mr Cameron warned
However,
according to today's defence select committee report there were only
three UK military personnel outside the Kurdish regions of Iraq,
compared with 400 Australians, 280 Italians and 300 Spanish, when the
MPs visited Iraq before Christmas.
The
committee said it is ‘very surprising that the UK Government is doing
so little’, given the rise of Islamic State has proven the ‘sum of all
our fears’.
‘Given
that Daesh is the most dramatic and significant threat to regional
stability and international security to have emerged in the Middle East
in decades, we are surprised and deeply concerned that the UK is not
doing more,’ it added.
I'm not scared of Farage, says Cameron as he refuses to rule out a coalition with Ukip
David Cameron today insisted he is not frightened of Nigel Farage as he pointedly refused to rule out a coaltion with Ukip.
The Tory Prime Minister repeated his warning that a vote for Ukip would help put Ed Miliband in Number 10.
But
he insisted he would not go head to head with Mr Farage, arguing the
'minor parties' should all be included in TV debates before the election
campaign gets underway.
Mr Cameron insisted he is not frightened of Nigel Farage - but pointedly refused to rule out a coaltion with Ukip
Many
MailOnline readers posted questions and comments for the Tory leader
challenging him to square up to Mr Farage, whose rise in popularity
could deprive the Conservatives of victory on May 7.
Some wanted the pair to have a pint, others favoured a bare fist fight.
One
reader, using the name 'Not Impressed' from Manchester, asked: 'Why are
you so frightened to take Nigel Farage on a one to one basis, at least
Nick Clegg had the balls.'
But Mr Cameron insisted he will only debate with UKIP if the Lib Dems, Greens and other small parties are included.
'I'm
happy to have these debates and I think we should get on with them and
have them before the election gets underway,' he told MailOnline.
'But
the debate the country needs to have is between the two futures offered
at the next election which is a David Cameron-led Conservative
government or and Ed Miliband and Ed Balls running the country.
'That is the choice at the election. All Farage offers really is the chance to go to bed with him and wake up with Miliband.'
Asked if he is frightened of Farage, he insisted: 'No not at all.'
So
would he take him on one-to-one? 'No, I think we should have the minor
parties all in a debate together with the leading parties, that's the
format I think should be had.'
Last
week Tory party chairman Grant Shapps explicitly ruled out a coalition
with Ukip, vowing: 'We are not going to do pacts and deals with Ukip.'
One
MailOnline reader, Mudge from Bexhill, challenged the Prime Minister:
'Can I have your word that you will not enter either a formal or
informal agreement with Ukip after the next election if you dont get a
majority?'
But Mr Cameron refused to make the commitment: 'I don't want to have a coalition with anybody.
'I'm
fighting for a majority government, there are 93 days to go and I'm not
going to speculate about any outcome other than victory.'
Put
to him that Mr Shapps has already ruled out entering a power-sharing
deal with Ukip, the Prime Minister was reluctant to repeat the
pledge. 'I've given you my answer,' he replies curtly.
Cameron pleads with voters for another chance on immigration
Latest figures show net migration to
the UK stood at 260,000, well above David Cameron's promise to cut it to
the 'tens of thousands'
Before the last election Mr Cameron pledge 'no ifs, no buts' to reduce net migration to the 'tens off thousands'.
But
latest figures show 260,000 more people arrived in the UK than left in
the last year, including a record 228,000 extra immigrants who arrived
from elsewhere in the European Union.
Jonboy,
Bath: 'At the last General Election you promised to cut immigration,
but since then gross immigration has risen from 500,000 to 540,000. How
can we trust you when you say you want to cut immigration further?'
Mr
Cameron said: 'We have made progress on immigration from outside the
EU. We promised a cap on the numbers, we've delivered that. We promised
tougher rules and we have delivered them.
'We promised to kick out extremist preachers and we have done so.
'But
in terms of EU migration, partly because Britain has become the jobs
factory of Europe, and created 1,000 jobs every day, more than the rest
of Europe put together, we have had an increase of migration form the
EU.
'I
am setting out very specific things that we will do: no unemployment
beliefs, out in six months if you haven't got a job, you've got to work
here for six years before you can take out of the benefit system, and
you can't send your child benefit home to your kids in other countries.
'Those
are specific commitments. People can see with me when I make specific
commitments, like I did to our pensioners, like I did in terms of
pensioner benefits and the old age pension, I keep those commitments.'
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