Chancellor's £500m boost to war on terror

Spending on Britain's national security will increase by £500 million in a bid to combat the rising threat of global terrorism, Gordon Brown revealed today.

Funds for the intelligence services, counterterrorism and civil defence will be boosted by 25 per cent to £2.5 billion in the next week's three-year spending review, the Chancellor told the British Council. Mr Brown said plans to increase funding contrasted starkly with the Tories' pledge to freeze spending for the Home Office beyond police numbers.

A new national security budget will also be created to make clear exactly how much GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 contribute - though officials stress that this does not mean that there will be an overall "Homeland Security" department to co-ordinate the various agencies involved in security.

"We will spend what it takes on security to safeguard the British people," Mr Brown said.