All Britain's political parties are working together to examine a whole new range of anti-terror measures over the summer, Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.
After a meeting at No 10 today.The Tories and Liberal Democrats are supporting the creation of three new offences: inciting terrorism, preparing an attack and giving or receiving terror training.
Other measures, including increasing the time terror suspects can be held without charge and increased use of phone taps and other intercept evidence in court are being considered.
The proposals will be finalised and put to the Opposition parties in September, the Mr Blair told his monthly news conference.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair
"I think when the main political parties present a united front then you send an important signal to the terrorists of our strength, our determination, our unity to defeat them," Mr Blair said.
Tory leader Michael Howard said after the talks: "There's a great desire at a time when the country faces such great danger to work together."
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy welcomed the "reasonable progress" and vowed to continue to ensure basic civil liberties were not compromised.
Mr Blair is under public pressure after he was forced to apologise for the police killing of a Brazilian man mistaken for a terrorist last week.
It was confirmed that undercover police shot Jean de Menezes eight times at a south London Underground station. Mr Blair confirmed a shoot-to-kill policy was in operation and would continue despite the fatal error.
Hundreds of relatives and friends of Mr Menezes marched through his hometown in Brazil demanding the arrest of policemen responsible for his killing. Some of the protesters in Gonzaga held banners denouncing British police as the real terrorists.
Other placards were adorned with snapshots of Mr Menezes and urged Mr Blair to send his body home so it could be buried.
Gonzaga's mayor, outraged over the news that Mr Menezes was shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder, called the killing an assassination.
"It's easy for Blair to apologise, but it doesn't mean very much," said Julio de Souza. "What happened to English justice and England, a place where police patrol unarmed?"
PA