Britain's perceived current terrorism threat adds significantly to it becoming the most vulnerable it has been in one hundred years, according to UK Minister of State for Security Ben Wallace.
He cited "encryption" and the "radicalization" of online content, which he said have led to a situation where "the cost of that is heaped on [Britain'] law enforcement agencies."
"I have to have more human surveillance. It's costing hundreds of millions of pounds. If they [internet firms] continue to be less than cooperative, we should look at things like tax as a way of incentivizing them or compensating for their inaction," Wallace pointed out.
He explained that the government "should look at all options," including taxation, because hefty sum are spent on people's de-radicalization and because "content is not taken down as quickly as they [web companies] could do."
Wallace also noted that despite these companies' determination to grapple with child abuse online, they "don't seem to be making the same effort" against extremism.
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Speaking to BBC Newsnight on December 13, former MI6 head Sir Richard Dearlove suggested that terrorism does not represent a "systemic threat" to the UK.
He claimed that "the chances of getting caught up in a terror attack, even when the [terror threat] is high, are relatively low."
READ MORE: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? Corbyn Says UK Foreign Policy to Blame for Terrorism
His comments stand in sharp contrast to those of Andrew Parker, current director general of MI5, who said in October that the UK faced its most severe terror threat in history.
In all, terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of 35 people in four separate strikes in the UK in 2017.
