BRITAIN: British deputy prime minister John Prescott has accused Tory leader David Cameron of undermining the fight against terrorism by criticising Government policy.
Mr Prescott yesterday said Mr Cameron's claims that ministers were failing to do enough to counter extremism were "almost beyond belief".
"His claim that we haven't done enough has to be judged against the Tories' failure to support many of the measures that we have introduced to fight terrorism," Mr Prescott said.
Mr Cameron said at a press conference earlier: "I do not believe that our government is doing enough to fight Islamist extremists at home or to protect our security."
His breaking of ranks over the terrorist threat came as he gave his first response to the situation after returning from holiday.
The alleged plot by "alleged British-born Islamist terrorists" to blow up passenger jets was "deeply shocking" but "not surprising", he said.
Mr Cameron outlined a series of government failures, singling out chancellor Gordon Brown over a "bizarre" decision to freeze Home Office spending.
"Then there are things they have not done which they simply must do, like making intercept evidence available in court.
"Then there are the things they said they would do which they have not done, like following through on the prime minister's 12-point security plan and the recommendations on community cohesion," he said.
"Our domestic security must surely be a higher priority than ever before and we believe that Gordon Brown's Home Office spending freeze is an error of judgment."
The Treasury accused him of "playing politics" with terrorism and lacking "maturity" - and also rejected his allegations over spending on terror. Mr Cameron had got his sums wrong, the Treasury spokesman insisted.
The chancellor had boosted Home Office spending by three-quarters since 1997 and the spending plan for 2008-11 would add up to £2½ billion extra to allow for inflation, a source said.
Mr Cameron asked why so few "preachers of hate" - radical imams - had been prosecuted or expelled from Britain and why more had not been done to use existing law to deal with radicalisation within the Muslim community in Britain.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Council of Britain said the government would risk alienating the Muslim community and would have to "think very, very carefully" before considering screening passengers on ethnic and religious grounds.
A top British Muslim policeman meanwhile has warned that any moves to "terror profile" airline passengers would create a new offence of "travelling whilst Asian".
Former police chief John Stevens said airport bottlenecks could be reduced by careful targeting, with "young Muslim men" a focus. However Metropolitan Police Chief Supt Ali Desai, one of Britain's top Muslim police officers, warned: "What we don't want to do is actually alienate the very communities who are going to help us catch terrorists."
Airports were almost back to normal yesterday, but airline and travel industry anger continued.
Ryanair, which had to cancel eight flights at Stansted yesterday, accused airport operator BAA of "a chronic inability to staff security facilities". The airline called for the army or police to be brought into support BAA staff and said "common sense" should be introduced to searching and baggage regulations.
The Federation of Tour Operators said travel companies had felt "let down by inconsistent airport policies and clearly inadequate staffing arrangements".
British police detained one more person yesterday in connection with last week's alleged plot. Meanwhile, France's interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, said the threat of terrorism remained "high and permanent".