New powers to stop jihadists returning to UK revealed by PM

David Cameron has announced plans to stop suspected jihadists returning home to the UK from Syria and Iraq.

Police would be given the power to cancel suspected jihadists' passports for up to two years under new Temporary Exclusion Orders.

Border officials would also be able to take passports from anyone suspected of travelling to join a violent extremist group, without the consent from the Home Secretary that is needed under current law.

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Airlines would be compelled to share passenger data, suggesting planes carrying suspected jihadists could be turned away from Britain.

In a speech to the Australian parliament in Canberra, the Prime Minister said the action was needed to deal with the threat posed by more than 500 Britons who have travelled to fight in Syria and Iraq.

Action is needed to counter the "twisted narrative" of Islamism "that has seduced some of our people", he said.

However, The Times notes that jihadists could still insist on travelling back to Britain, but would have to submit to prosecution or close monitoring.

The proposals, which form part of the Counter-Terrorism Bill, due to be published before the end of the month, mark a slight retreat from Cameron's original proposals in September to altogether remove passports from suspected jihadists. This was rejected by Liberal Democrats, who said it broke international law.

The plans "could yet founder on legal challenges", says The Times. For example, it is not clear why countries such as Germany, France and Turkey should accept responsibility for Britons made subject to the Temporary Exclusion Orders.

Human rights lawyers are also likely to argue that placing individuals on a "no-fly" list amounts to rendering suspects stateless, "something which is forbidden under at least two UN conventions", says the newspaper.

BBC political correspondent Robin Brant describes the plan as "highly contentious" and says there are "serious concerns about whether it is workable given other established laws on citizenship, immigration and human rights".