Britain has barred radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, who has been detained in Lebanon, from returning to the country.
"We don't believe he's conducive to the public good," said a spokeswoman at the interior ministry.
The decision to bar Bakri indicated a change of position by the Government, which earlier this week said they were powerless to prevent him returning.
Omar Bakri Muhammad
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said on Tuesday: "I don't think he is welcome by many people in this country, is he? But at the moment he has the right to come in and out. It's a democracy, not a dictatorship, for God's sake."
It had been thought that immigration rules would have to be changed to keep him out. The process to change the rules was launched by the Home Office last week and sources had indicated it would be complete by the time Bakri was due to return to London in four weeks' time.
It also emerged today that Bakri could be extradited from Lebanon to Syria. A Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman confirmed Bakri was still in custody today despite reports of his release. He also revealed that Syria had lodged an extradition request for Bakri, who caused outrage last week by saying he would not report Muslim bomb-plotters to the police.
Meanwhile, Jordan will ask Britain next week to extradite the Palestinian-born cleric Abu Qatada as he faces terrorism charges in the kingdom, Interior Minister Awni Yirfas said today.
He said the request will initially be delivered verbally to the British embassy in Amman and will be followed by a written extradition request.
Omar Mahmood Othman Abu Omar, better known as Abu Qatada, was among ten foreigners arrested in Britain yesterday on suspicion of posing a threat to national security.
Qatada, the reported spiritual leader of al-Qaeda in Europe, has allegedly maintained links with radical groups in Britain, Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.
When he arrives in Jordan, Abu Qatada would be "retried under a Jordanian law which allows persons convicted and sentenced in absentia the right to retrial once captured," Mr Yirfas added.