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LONDON - British Home Secretary John Reid has provoked a civil liberties storm and a Cabinet split by floating plans to give police sweeping new anti-terror powers to stop and question anyone in the street.
The Home Secretary was accused of taking a further step towards an authoritarian
state as the "draconian" proposals were condemned by politicians of all parties as well as by human rights and Muslim groups.
Strengthening police powers to stop passers-by is being considered as part of a fresh raft of counter-terrorist measures to be announced before Reid steps down on June 27 alongside Prime Minister Tony Blair.
But there was doubt yesterday whether any such move would be endorsed by Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown when he becomes Prime Minister and Peter Hain, the Northern Ireland Secretary, warned it could become the "domestic equivalent of Guantanamo Bay".
At the moment police can challenge people, regardless of whether they are suspected of breaking the law, in areas considered at risk of terrorist attack, such as Westminster and around political party conference venues.
The new anti-terror proposals would extend that power nationwide, giving officers the right to demand anyone's name, address or details of where they have been if police suspect terrorist involvement.
Anyone who refused to co-operate could be charged with obstructing the police and fined up to £5000 ($13,660).
The move would briefly bring the rest of the UK into line with Northern Ireland, although the stop-and-question power was, ironically, expected to be repealed in the province as part of the peace dividend. After three terrorist suspects on control orders vanished last week, Reid again complained that police powers to protect national security were too limited.
His other proposals are thought to include allowing police to question suspects after they have been charged and toughening control orders, even if it means opting out of human rights legislation.
They will be set out within a month for consultation, with a view to being included in a counter-terrorist bill in the autumn, by which time Brown will be in Downing Street. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We need to look at how we can ensure police have the powers necessary to prevent terrorist activities happening in the UK."
But Hain, a contender for the Labour deputy leadership, warned that the proposals could backfire. He told BBC1's Sunday AM programme: "We've got to be very careful that we don't create the domestic equivalent of Guantanamo Bay, which was an international abuse of human rights, acted as a recruiting sergeant for dissidents and alienated Muslims and many other people across the world."
David Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, said: "The driving imperative of these draconian announcements appears to be more of a wish to project the reputation of Mr Reid and Mr Blair in their last weeks in office, than a need to protect the public."
Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: "The police should not have powers to run around questioning people willy-nilly, otherwise people feel hunted."
Inayat Bunglawala, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, argued that the new powers would lead to young Muslim men being "disproportionately targeted".
- INDEPENDENT
