Reid to propose tougher anti-terror laws

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) Home Secretary John Reid will propose a series of tougher anti-terrorism laws today, expected to include extending beyond 28 days the time suspects can be held without charge.

The proposals, which may also move towards allowing phone-taps to be used as evidence in court, could form part of a future counter-terrorism bill but are likely to face tough parliamentary scrutiny.

Civil rights group Liberty said detaining suspects without charge for longer than 28 days was akin to internment. Prime Minister Tony Blair had to abandon an earlier bid to raise the detention period to 90 days after a Commons rebellion in 2005.

Newspaper reports at the weekend said the proposals were supported by Gordon Brown, who is preparing to take over from Blair as premier.

The reports said the plans would include: - Ending the ban on questioning by police after a terrorist suspect has been charged with a lesser offence. This would be subject to judicial oversight to ensure that it is correctly and sparingly used.

- Moving towards allowing phone-tap evidence to be admissible in court by holding a Privy Council review into whether the law should be changed. A security source told Reuters that MI5 would not oppose such a move but said the already stretched intelligence agency would have to divert significant resources into processing wiretap transcripts and presenting them in a form that the courts could use.

- Making terrorism an aggravating factor in sentencing, handing judges greater powers.

- Increasing the security budget, which has already doubled to more than two billion pounds a year since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

Last week the Home Office said it was looking at giving police broad powers to stop and question people as part of new counter-terrorism legislation.

Britain is virtually alone in the Western world in not allowing the use of telephone intercepts as evidence in court.

However, 'eavesdropping' information -- gained by the police or security services from bugging suspects' homes or cars -- is admissible in trials.

Such material played an important part in convicting five Britons in a major terrorism trial in April, after the security services recorded them discussing possible attacks on the Bluewater shopping centre near London and the Ministry of Sound nightclub.

REUTERS JK BST0607