Ex MI5 boss' warning over terror laws

A former head of MI5 today warned that invaluable spy secrets would be jeopardised if the Government agrees Tory and Liberal Democrat demands for anti-terror law changes.

Sir Stephen Lander, incoming chairman of the new Serious Organised Crime Agency, spoke out as Tony Blair met Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy for talks on the issue. As a way of resolving the row over house-arrest proposals, the Tories wants phone-tap evidence on suspects to be allowed in court hearings.

But Sir Stephen told BBC Radio 4's Today programme such a move could reveal the hi-tech techniques used by intelligence agencies. The law change would not be "timely" because of the way the technology is developing, he said.

"We have in this country a technical edge over most countries," he added. "The risk is that, by opening this up to due process and proper examination in the courts, you will expose what we can and cannot do."

The tripartite policy meeting at Downing Street - the first of its kind since Mr Blair came to office - underlined No 10's wish to find cross-party consensus on proposals to detain both British and foreign terror suspects in their own homes.

Mr Howard and Mr Kennedy have each threatened their parties will vote against the plans, which they claim would endanger historic civil liberties.

The controversy first erupted when the Law Lords ruled that the detention without trial of foreign suspects in Belmarsh prison breaches human rights laws.

In response, Home Secretary Charles Clarke rushed out proposals for "control orders" to, in effect, lock up the men at home.

Both opposition parties back alternative means of tackling terrorists, including phone-tap evidence now inadmissible in court.

While the police and MI5 are now open to a change in the law, MI6 is still firmly against this because it could expose agents.

Mr Clarke appeared last month to rule out changing the rules on phone intercepts. But there has been intense recent speculation about a change of mind.

Allowing tap evidence is the "obvious" alternative to house arrest, a former adviser to David Blunkett, Nick Pearce of the IPPR think tank, said today.

Mr Blair and the Home Secretary may well now agree to other concessions to the Tories and Lib-Dems - such as allowing a bigger role for judges in issuing control orders. Both the police and security services have warned they could not support house arrest orders.

Previously Mr Blair has only met Mr Kennedy and Mr Howard separately, on issues such as the war in Iraq and the Hutton and Butler reports.