Plans to give police new powers to stop and question anyone were in disarray last night as supporters of Gordon Brown gave the proposal lukewarm support and police leaders questioned its usefulness in the fight against terrorism.

The Home Office confirmed yesterday that it was examining whether to extend a version of the “stop-and-question” powers available to police in Northern Ireland to the rest of the United Kingdom.

Under the proposals, people refusing to give their names or explain what they were doing could be charged with obstructing the police and fined up to £5,000. Tony Blair said yesterday that it would be a “dangerous misjudgment” to put civil liberties before fighting terror.

But the Home Office proposals faced criticism from Cabinet members, MPs of all parties and Muslim and civil rights groups, who said that it would drive a wedge between the police and sections of the Muslim community.

The proposals were outlined in a leaked letter to the Prime Minister from Tony McNulty, the Counter-Terrorism Minister. He argued that stop-and-search powers used by British police were overused, unpopular and did not enable an officer to ask individuals who they were or where they were going.

He wrote: “Therefore, a less intrusive power of stop-and-question that could be used by the police in the first instance would be useful. The effect of this power should, therefore, be to reduce the number of times stop and search is used.” The Police Federation welcomed proposals for police to get new powers, but said that the immediate connection to fighting terrorism appeared “abstract”.

Speaking on The World This Weekend on BBC Radio 4, Mr McNulty said that no decision had been taken and that legislation was unlikely to emerge before October or November.

But allies of Mr Brown appeared lukewarm about the proposals yesterday, insisting that police would be allowed to stop and question someone only where officers had a “reasonable suspicion”. Home Office sources insisted last night that the issue had yet to be decided.

Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland Secretary and a Labour deputy leadership contender, went farther, saying the restrictions could become “the domestic equivalent of Guantanamo Bay”. He told Sunday AM on BBC One: “We cannot have a reincarnation of the old ‘sus’ laws, under which mostly black people, ethnic minorities, were literally stopped on sight.”

Ed Miliband, a close ally of Mr Brown, said that he was “not in a position to judge” whether it was a good move, and Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary and another deputy leadership contender, also avoided backing the idea.

William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: “We will listen to the proposals . . . but they have to be proposals consistent with popular consent in this country and with not alienating the people whose cooperation we need in the fight against terrorism.”

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, accused the Government of seeking a “police state”.

Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: “This looks like political machismo, a legacy moment.”

Search results

22,700

stop and searches were carried out by officers from the Metropolitan Police last year

27

led to terrorism-related arrests

1,126

arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 between 2001 and 2006

117

of those were charged with terrorism legislation offences only

104

were charged with terrorism legislation offences and other criminal offences

Source: Times database, Muslim Council of Britain

Times Recommends

• The Times celebrates its 225th birthday
• Heath discussed IMF loan during 1974 crisis
• Britain’s loneliest café opens for business