The Prevent counter-terrorism programme spent half as much tackling Islamic extremism after the Oct 7 attacks than it did the year before, The Telegraph can reveal.

Grants made by the programme focused on Islamic extremism went down by almost 50 per cent in the months following the Hamas attack on Israel compared with the same period the previous year.

Between October and December 2023 the Home Office spent approximately £100,000 on grants designed to combat Islamist extremism – 19 per cent of a £529,300 total.

Over that same period in 2022 around £196,000 was given in grants tackling the problem – 29 per cent of a total of £677,716.

Local authorities bid for Prevent grants based on the radicalisation risks in their area before bespoke programmes are carried out by grassroots organisations.

Grants to tackle “extreme Right-wing” ideologies are also available under the scheme.

The figures, released via a freedom of information request, will raise concerns over the way Prevent allocates funding.

Anti-Semitic incidents reached a record high in 2023 and two thirds of them took place on or after Oct 7.

Community tensions also rose after pro-Palestine protesters took to the streets every weekend in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.