Gordon Brown forced his own security minister to make an embarrassing political U-turn today before announcing major plans to protect Britain’s airports, stations, shopping centres and sporting venues against attack by terrorists.

The Prime Minister launched a report by Admiral Lord West of Spithead, which sets out proposals to build anti-terror measures into the design of public buildings after June's abortive terror attacks in London and Glasgow and build barriers outside airports, ports and stations to prevent car bomb attacks.

He also announced that the Government plans to relax restrictions on hand baggage taken aboard aircraft as well as a £400 million campaign to combat the radicalisation of young Muslims.

That includes a new unit that will be set up bringing together "police and security intelligence and research" to identify individuals at risk of falling under the influence of terrorists.

The move follows the warning last week by Jonathan Evans, the MI5 Director General, that al-Qaeda was systematically "grooming" children as young as 15 to carry out in attacks in Britain.

In a Commons statement, Mr Brown told MPs: "The objective of al-Qaeda and related groups is to manipulate political and humanitarian issues in order to gain support for their agenda of murder and violence - and to deliberately maim and kill fellow human beings, including innocent women and children.

"We must not allow anyone to use terrorist activities as a means to divide us or to isolate those belonging to a particular faith or community.”

Lord West was appointed as part of Mr Brown's administration of all the talents and is the Home Office minister who will have to steer counter-terrorism legislation through the Lords – including a Government plan to extend the period that terror suspects can be held and questioned without charge.

But the former Navy chief and Falklands War hero sparked confusion this morning when he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he was not yet "fully convinced" of the need to raise the 28-day limit.

Barely an hour later, after a meeting with the Prime Minister, he emerged from No 10 with his position reversed.

"My feeling is, yes, we need more than 28 days," he told reporters. "I personally absolutely believe that within the next two to three years, we will require more than that for one of these complex plots. So I am convinced that’s the case, but it is very difficult because there is a civil liberties issue."

Speaking this afternoon in the House of Commons, Mr Brown said that the events of June showed that Britain needed not just military and security counter-terrorism measures, but also efforts to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim community and ensure young people do not fall under the influence of extremists.

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