Written question asked by Nick Timothy (Conservative) on Monday, 1 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 June 2026. It was answered by Jake Richards (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 June 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisons: Publications

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether books entitled (a) The Way of the Jihad by Hassan al-Banna, (b) Milestones by Sayyid Qutb and (c) The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi have been discovered and seized in prisons in the last two years.

Answer: Material that promotes or supports acts of terrorism, extremism or radicalisation is banned from prisons, in accordance with the Prison Public Protection Policy Framework. The Joint Extremism Unit in HM Prison & Probation Service maintains a list of such material. Its contents are withheld from public disclosure, on grounds of national security. Measures are in place to prevent material of this sort from coming into prisoners’ possession. If any is discovered, it will be removed immediately. Prison governors also have discretion to restrict prisoners’ access to material that is not specifically banned under the policy.

Secondary information