Universities asked to draw up guidelines on handling preachers with track record of inciting hatred in aftermath of attack

A fresh drive to prevent radicalisation of impressionable students on campus is being launched in which universities will be asked to draw up guidelines on how to handle preachers who have a track record of inciting hatred, at the end of a dramatic week that saw a soldier murdered in Woolwich.

Universities UK, which represents higher education institutions, launched a new campaign in an attempt to show students, unions and academics what they can do to constrain controversial preachers.

Ministers are reluctant to reach for a barrage of new legislation in the wake of the terrorist murder of a soldier outside Woolwich barracks, but recognise they need to do more to revive Labour's stalled Prevent strategy, which was introduced by the previous government in an attempt to forestall young people becoming involved with extremist groups.

One of the suspects in Wednesday's murder of Lee Rigby, Michael Adebolajo, converted to Islam in 2003 and attended events of the now banned al-Muhajiroun group. But it is not clear that there was any university link.

The limited government response emerged on the day that the family of murdered soldier Lee Rigby fought back tears at an emotionally charged press conference describing their shock that a soldier who had served in Afghanistan was killed in broad daylight on the streets of London.

Rigby's wife, Rebecca, and stepfather, Ian Rigby, spoke on behalf of the family at the regimental HQ of his unit, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, at Bury in Greater Manchester.

"I love Lee and always will," said Mrs Rigby. "I am proud to be his wife and he was due to come up this weekend so we could continue our future together as a family … You don't expect it to happen when he's in the UK. You think they're safe."

She said her husband, from Langley, in Middleton, Greater Manchester, was a devoted father to their two-year-old son, adding: "His proudest moments were serving in London on the ceremonials with the drum corps."

Conservative Muslims have urged the government to go further and publish its own official list of speakers that it believes universities should not allow.

Mohammed Amin, vice-chair of the Conservative Muslim forum yesterday urged the faiths minister, Lady Warsi, to consider publishing a list of the proscribed preachers.

Amin said: "Too many times institutions say they would have banned someone if they had known about their background, but by then it is too late. Only government has the resources to publish this list and to be free of the threat of legal action. If someone objected to being on the list they could appeal. It is not illiberal."

Rupert Sutton, from Student Rights, an organisation aimed at preventing extremism at universities, said he hoped universities would develop internal lists of speakers liable to preach hatred or violence. He added: "There is a problem with Prevent at many universities, partly because it comes from government and partly because it is seen as anti-Muslim. It needs to be refocused much more clearly as being opposed to extremism of both right and left."

The two suspects, Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, were shot and arrested at the scene and remain in police custody in separate hospitals. It emerged earlier this week that the pair had been known to security services but had not been considered a serious threat.

Adebolajo was stopped when he arrived in Kenya on a recent visit – when he may have been intending to travel on to Somalia – and was subsequently deported. Last year he also complained of harassment by MI5, which is under fire for not taking further action.

The Guardian has been also told that the head of MI5, Andrew Parker, will next week deliver a preliminary report to the parliamentary intelligence and security committee, responsible for parliamentary oversight, which is probing what the service knew of the Woolwich terror suspects.

However, despite this week's setback, the agencies are putting pressure on Whitehall not to slash back its budgets in the spending review this summer, a plea backed by Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the chairman of the intelligence and security committee.

Yesterday morning, Ed Miliband made a private visit to Woolwich barracks to pay his respects and Nick Clegg told a meeting of faith leaders in London that people had a choice to reject the "corrosive feeling of fear" affecting their lives in the aftermath of the murder. The leader of the far-right British National party, Nick Griffin visited the scene of the killing in the afternoon.

At the press conference, Rigby's stepfather struggled to contain his emotions as he read a statement, painting a portrait of a young man who had fulfilled his ambition of joining the army and who drew immense pleasure from his family:

"What can we say about Lee, our hero? When Lee was born the family adored him, he was a precious gift given to us."

He said Rigby had realised his boyhood dream in joining the army. "He was dedicated and loved his job. Lee adored and cared a lot for his family; he was very much a family man, looking out for his wife, young son, Jack, younger sisters – who in turn looked up to him. He always had a banter with them but would never ever let any harm come to them."

The last text Rigby had sent to his mother, he said, read: "Goodnight mum, I hope you had a fantastic day today because you are the most fantastic and one-in-a million mum that anyone could ever wish for. Thank you for supporting me all these years, you're not just my mum you're my best friend. So goodnight, love you loads."

• This article was amended on 29 May 2013. The original said incorrectly that the murder in Woolwich was the first terror-related incident on mainland Britain since the 7 July 2005 bombings.