BRITAIN: Nearly three-quarters of the British people believe the West is in a global war with Islamic terrorists who threaten their way of life, while fewer than a quarter suspect politicians of exaggerating the terrorist threat.
These are among the key findings of the first major survey of British public opinion since last week's disclosure of an alleged liquid bomb plot targeting UK flights to the United States.
The Spectator magazine released the findings of its YouGov poll while police sought more time to question 23 of 24 terror suspects being held at high-security locations in London, and as home secretary John Reid warned European interior ministers that the EU and the wider world now faced a form of terrorism "unconstrained in its evil intention."
Amid fresh rows about the inadequacy of security arrangements at British airports yesterday, YouGov found a majority, 55 per cent to 29 per cent, in favour of the introduction of "passenger profiling", with only a small majority believing prime minister Tony Blair should have returned from his holiday to oversee the emergency.
In a clear rebuke to Muslim leaders who last week cited British foreign policy in the Middle East as a contributor to the radicalisation and alienation of some Muslim youth, just 12 per cent of YouGov's respondents said it should be made more conciliatory, as opposed to 53 per cent who said it should be become more aggressive and a further 24 per cent who wanted no change.
That finding, coupled with 60 per cent expecting the threat from terror groups to worsen over time, will strengthen ministerial demands for Muslim leaders to take an unequivocal stand against extremists in their communities.
However, the mixed political message for Mr Blair is that British public support for tougher anti-terrorist measures - including his original proposal to allow police to hold terror suspects without charge for up to 90 days - is coupled with growing opposition to the UK's close alliance with the US, or at any rate with President Bush.
When offered the choice of maintaining the current close relationship with the US, switching to closer links with Europe or an unspecified third course of action (which could be an independent foreign policy), just 15 per cent of those questioned said Britain should continue to align itself closely with the US, as opposed to 46 per cent who preferred a position closer to Europe.
Commenting on these findings, YouGov's co-chief executive Stephan Shakespeare said: "The British people now feel that they are in a global war with terrorism, and one that will last 10 years or more. But that doesn't mean they have bought into the American 'neo-con' view of the future - even though they recognise the threat and want a more aggressive response from the UK."
At their informal talks with Mr Reid in London yesterday, EU ministers agreed on the need for urgent research into the detection of liquid explosives, the greater exchange of intelligence and a more uniform approach to security at airports. Confirming that a formal meeting of EU intelligence chiefs will be held later this month, Mr Reid emphasised the importance of adopting measures on a Europe-wide basis.
Meanwhile, an airline boss was forced to admit "multiple failures" yesterday when it emerged that a 12-year-old boy managed to board a Monarch plane at Gatwick on Monday morning at the height of the continuing security alert without a ticket or a boarding pass.