It is kind of surreal to watch the gentle slide into a police state. But of course, this is the way it went 70 years ago too: the reason it works is because people never feel that the erosion of civil liberties and human rights are applicable to them. Who cares about the minority....

Peter, London, UK

I would go one step further with the preachers of hate who supposedly follow their religion.

Make it obligatory to swear on the Bible, the Koran or whatever is most holy to them that they renounce violence and will unreservedly respect the laws of this country.

A.Crow, Sidmouth, Devon

Why do they give them so much importance. The government shouldn't say what they will do in these cases.
Just do it.

Aaron, london, uk

Banned from the UK "Unless" they can persuade the Government they are no longer preaching hate.
Isn't this the most pathetic statement from a wet government you have ever seen.
Foreign criminals being allowed to stay in the UK due to interference by Civil Liberties Groups and poor Judges.
A joke !

Howard Leech, Gdansk, Poland

Why do we always feel the need to caveat all our actions with ridiculous statements like..."renounce their extreme beliefs" We do not want these people in this country and why on earth would you believe them if they did recant. The law should be simple and straightforward. they don't get in!

Don Bennett, Glasgow, Scotland

Who gets to make the decision that someone's viewpoint embodies 'hatred'?

And what do you do when they come and tell you that your own viewpoint should not be heard?

Is it not the marginalising of groups that make them more attractive to followers?

P Flannery, Glasgow,

As a Muslim, I wont be expecting this prohibition to be extended to Rabbi's that preach extermintaion of palestinians, or Neo -cons proposing contiual Global war, Pan -Russian/Slavs , or Hindu fundamentalist (BJP), BNP, Military Juntas, African warlords, pro western warlords, Christain evangelists..

S Mahmood, Greater Manchester, UK

The government is the reason we have them so I think you'll find this is all spin and nothing else

John, Salford, England

More to the point - have any of the hate merchants outed by Channel 4's Undercover Mosque been deported or even prosecuted yet? Or do their Human Rights still overide ours?

Janet, London ,

This is baffling, a 'preacher of hate' will be allowed enter the country as long as he says "I changed my mind, I'm no longer prejudice and I think everyone is great". Whoever thinks that will work is in for a rough ride

Philip, Tramore, Ireland

Sounds like a good idea but has the government got the courage to stand up to the usual Human Rights nonsense?

Luke, London, UK

Read Stephen Leather's 'Cold Kill' for a very good (factional) take on the state of the UK. Government's throw away our national identity - customs, traditions and religion - at its peril. Roll on the revolution.

mark , london, england

After eleven years in power this "get tough" waffle is too little and too late and thoroughly unconvincing.

Besides, there are existing powers for this if only this government was cometent enough to have applied them.

Just what else will they want these new powers for?

Pinkie, London, United Kingdom

banning them doesn't stop them. let them in and arrest them. as we should arrest anyone here of whatever creed or colour for making similar statements.

jem, london, uk

There is one point of concern though:

What happens with the people who are born in the UK or live here in the first place?

I think a lot of extremism is nowadays "home grown".

D.C.M., Doncaster,

This is a U-turn. So basically preachers of hate can come back in provided they renounce thier past preachings!!
How stupid to think this STOPS them, This actually has given them a loophole to come back in.

BSandhu, Twickenham, uk

If they've already got the power to refuse these people entry, why do they need new ones? If their presence is "not conducive to the national good" they can be removed and kept out for good.

Perhaps we just need a government with backbone instead of political correctness?

Roger B, Norwich,

It's so Labour that they are late to tackle a problem (this was a hot issue in the late 1990s - ignored) and when they do finally introduce legislation it's full of loop holes. These foreign preachers of hate should be banned outright - for life - not given a chance to claim their views have changed

Simon , London, UK

WHY WHY has this taken so long? they should have been outed as soon as they opened thier mouths. Look what has taken place with terriosts
in recent years. Put the Tower of London to use.
( Treason) Carried the death sentance I think it still dose.

Kenneth Wilford, Ashford, Kent

Keep these hate preachers out under any circumstance, because once they are in you and I are subsidising them and their ilk financially.
Their internet efforts can be monitored remotely and so can their audiences.
This is a secular society, get used to it. Don't like it? Go and live somewhere else

Paul W, Swindon, Wilts

Oh and what if it is white British people spewing hatred.? There are plenty of them too.This law will be unenforceable in reality

D McGregor, St Mawes, UK

When we laid the very first brick for the very first mosque we lost the plot. This is a christian country and anybody coming here should accept that, even if it means changing their religion. Try enforcing your beliefs in an islamic country and
see how far you get. It's a case of "when in Rome"

Jacqui Broadbridge, Southampton,

What a disgraceful 'show' of talking tough - election coming up is it?? Wasn't it this Government who opened the borders to known terrorists wanted in other member states branding us with Londonstan to our eternal shame; tell me Jacqui Smith how many illegal terrorist immigrants there are?

Mike Smith, Ashington, UK

230? I think it's at least two zeros short.
It is not so strange with an election on the horizon that the vilest government we have ever had is starting to do the things the public wanted them to do several years ago - but they knew better. Where are the 'rights' of these creatures now?

David Smith, Stourbridge, UK

This will without doubt fall withing the remit of the Governments' own stupid human rights legislation and therefore be quite unenforceable.

It's just today's attempt to cover up the other current government crises with some spin.

David, St Albans, UK

What about those born in the UK? Surely these pose the greatest risk?

Ed Manser, Canterbury, UK

Yes these people have bonkers views but I am extremely uneasy at yet more intervention by this government gradually eating away at civil liberties and freedom of speech - rights fought for by this country over the last 400 years.

David, Fleet, England

I would have thought these types of people should already be barred from entering the country!!! Talk about 'shutting the door after the horse has bolted'!!!

J. Abbott, West Midlands, England