British prime minister Tony Blair has announced a raft of new counter-terrorist proposals and signalled his readiness to amend Britain's human rights law if necessary to overcome legal obstacles to new deportation rules.
"Let nobody be in any doubt, the rules of the game are changing," said Mr Blair, as Downing Street flagged the likely recall of parliament in September to pass new laws deemed necessary in the aftermath of the London bomb attacks.
Asserting the right to life as the most fundamental human right of all, Mr Blair said: "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. People have a right to be protected from terrorism."
To that end, and clearly anticipating legal battles ahead, Mr Blair told a pre-holiday press conference there would be a four-week period for consultation on new grounds for deporting or excluding from the UK foreign nationals involved in fostering hatred or advocating or justifying violence.
While still seeking "memorandums of understanding" with other countries that those deported would not be subject to torture or the death penalty, Mr Blair indicated that if necessary he would look to amend Britain's human rights laws to overcome legal obstacles to the new rules.
Mr Blair said in future the home secretary would automatically consider deporting any foreign national involved with listed extremist bookshops, centres, organisations or websites. And the home office would automatically refuse asylum to persons linked to terrorism anywhere.
Outlining a 12-point action plan, Mr Blair said the key was to deal with foreign extremists who were providing the "ideological drive" for home-grown terrorists. "Coming in to Britain is not a right and even when people have come here, staying here carries a duty. That duty is to share and support the values that sustain the British way of life," he said.
Foreign nationals inciting or engaging in extremism "should be out", the prime minister said, while stressing the proposed new laws and rules are "not in any sense aimed at the decent, law-abiding Muslim community of Britain".
However, Mr Blair faced the first cracks in the domestic political consensus as he confirmed a new screening process for foreign preachers coming to the UK, and said he would consult on the creation of new powers to close places of worship used to foment extremism.
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said some of Mr Blair's proposals would put that consensus under strain. Amid suggestions that even the home office had been taken by surprise by the extent of Mr Blair's announcement yesterday, Mr Kennedy confirmed that many of the new proposals had not featured during a briefing Lib Dems received from the home office on Thursday.
He said plans to ban two Muslim organisations, powers to close mosques and deport people who "visit particular bookshops and websites" ran the risk of "inflaming tensions and alienating people". And while the Liberal Democrats would examine the detail of each measure proposed, Mr Kennedy warned Mr Blair he "should not count on our support".
Campaign group Liberty reacted angrily to a package in which Mr Blair also proposed setting a maximum time limit for extradition proceedings to other countries. Mr Blair said it was unacceptable that Rashid Ramda, wanted in connection with the Paris Metro bombing 10 years ago, was still in the UK.
He said he would ban the Hizb ut Tahir and successor Al-Muhajiroun organisations and consider whether the grounds for proscribing such groups needed to be widened.
The prime minister also provoked internal Labour objections as he anticipated greater use of the controversial control orders against British and foreign nationals suspected of involvement in terrorism. And he said the threshold for gaining British citizenship would be reviewed, while a commission would be established, with the Muslim community, to identify problems within the community.
The Conservatives gave a general welcome to the proposals. However, the Muslim Council of Britain said it was concerned and alarmed at them. Secretary general Sir Iqbal Sacranie said banning groups like the extremist Hizb ut-Tahir was "certainly not the solution".