THE most sweeping anti-terrorism proposals since the Second World War were announced yesterday as Tony Blair started a crackdown on preachers of hate.

Dozens of Islamic extremists face deportation this autumn in a surprisingly draconian clampdown which has shattered the cross-party consensus after the London bombings.

As the measures were unveiled, the Bank of England said that it had frozen the bank accounts of the four men held on suspicion of being the July 21 bombers, amid allegations that they had collected more than £500,000 in benefits.

“Let no one be in any doubt, the rules of the game are changing,” the Prime Minister said.

Many of his tough new proposals took the Home Office by surprise, with officials learning of them only at a press conference in Downing Street.

Making clear that public anger over the extremists had prompted urgent action, Mr Blair said: “Coming to Britain is not a right and, even when people have come here, staying here carries with it a duty.

“That duty is to share and support the values that sustain the British way of life. Those who break that duty and try and incite or engage in violence against our country or our people have no place here.”

His proposals will trigger fresh battles with the courts, which have ruled previous anti-terrorism laws illegal and have stopped deportations to countries where people could face inhumane treatment.

Mr Blair is seeking assurance from North African and Middle Eastern countries that deportees would not be tortured if they are made to leave Britain.

He warned judges that if they continued to prevent the deportation of extremists, he would amend the Human Rights Act. Most of the proposals, including new grounds for deportation, can be implemented without legislation.

Senior police officers said that the proposals provided scope for firm action to tackle the small number of people involved, but civil liberties groups condemned them as harsh.

Shami Chakrabati, director of Liberty, said that anyone in Britain believed to have incited terrorism should be dealt with in the British courts.

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, who was informed of the measures only 30 minutes before they were announced, told the Prime Minister not to count on his party’s support. He said that they risked “inflaming tensions and alienating Muslims” when the country needed all communities to pull together.

But the tough stance on deportation was welcomed by David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, who urged the Government to press ahead with them as soon as possible.

The most significant changes on deportation and will come into force early next month, after a brief consultation.

Grounds for deportation have been extended to take in “fostering hatred, advocating violence to further a person’s beliefs or justifying such violence”. The measures will be implemented retrospectively, so any radicals known to have publicly supported suicide bombers in Britain or abroad can be thrown out.

Mr Blair emphasised that the measures were aimed at extremists and not at “decent, law-abiding” Muslims. “Most people recognise the climate in which these measures are being taken is somewhat different,” he said. “People can’t come here and abuse our good nature and our tolerance, come here and start inciting our young people into violence.”

Mr Blair’s wife Cherie, a leading human rights lawyer, recently warned the Government not to interfere with the independence of the courts.

The Prime Minister insisted that freedom from terrorism was a human right. “I have never accepted this idea that there is a choice between the concept of human rights and the concept of protecting the country from terrorism,” he said.

The Prime Minister, who leaves for his summer holiday this weekend, gave a clear hint that MPs will be recalled in September to debate the measures.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• UK regional accents thrive against the odds
• ‘Scarecrow’ wind farms put rare birds to flight
• What an anti-climax: G-spot is a myth