Charles Clarke has persuaded his EU counterparts to intensify their fight against terrorists, by implementing an EU anti-terror action plan by the end of the year.

The security ministers said that they will accelerate measures to cut funding of terrorist groups, and boost sharing of intelligence needed in terror investigations. Mr Clarke warned that there were probably more suicide bombers ready to carry out similar attacks.

It was also agreed that all 25 EU countries will join the two minutes' silence tomorrow for the victims of Thursday's bombs in London.

The Home Secretary was chairing an emergency meeting of security ministers in Brussels, called after the terror attack.

International co-operation and sharing of intelligence was now essential to close down the networks of terror across national borders, he told the meeting.

Mr Clarke was pushing for new legislation forcing mobile telephone companies and internet service providers (ISPs) to store details of all e-mail and mobile phone communications for up to three years, so that they can be accessed by the security services when hunting terrorists.

The idea was already on a list of security measures before the July 7 rush hour bombings but received a cool reception. The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) threw out the proposal almost unanimously in May, warning that the measures might breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Today, it received a more favourable reception and Mr Clarke found an immediate ally in France.

"The framework decision on the retention of electronic data must be adopted as a matter of urgency," said Nicolas Sarkozy, the French Interior Minister.

Pascal Clement, the French Justice Minister, added that the legislation would be "an extremely useful instrument for investigations into terrorism."

The atmosphere of concord did not however last long, as Mr Clarke was soon after forced to deny telling Mr Sarkozy that police had previously arrested some of the London suicide

bombers last year, after the Madrid bombings. He said that the suggestion was “completely and utterly untrue”.

Before setting off for Brussels, Mr Clarke said it must be assumed there are others prepared to carry out similar suicide attacks on the UK and in Europe.

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