BBC News - Powers to stop British jihadists returning to UK - PM 14 November 2014 Last updated at 06:00 David Cameron announced new anti-terror powers during a speech to the Australian parliament British jihadists who travel abroad to fight could be prevented from returning under new powers outlined by the PM. David Cameron said the special exclusion orders - which could last for two years or more - would bar suspected fighters from entering the UK unless they agreed to strict controls. Officials would also have the power to stop would-be jihadists leaving the UK. Critics have questioned the legality of the measures, while Labour said more should be done to stop radicalisation. Mr Cameron, who is in Australia for the G20 summit, announced the plans in a speech to the country's parliament in Canberra. The proposals - which were first outlined by the prime minister in September - form part of the Counter-Terrorism Bill, due to be published before the end of the month. Downing Street said it hoped the bill would be law by the end of January. Under the Temporary Exclusion Orders, British citizens suspected of fighting with Islamic State (IS) militants would be stopped from re-entering the UK unless they gave themselves up at the border. Suspects would have their passport cancelled and their name would be added to a "no-fly list" that would prevent them travelling to Britain. They would only be allowed to return if they agreed to be escorted by the police before facing either prosecution or close supervision under monitoring powers. We have to deal with the threat of foreign fighters planning attacks against our people End Quote Prime Minister David Cameron The exclusion orders would last for up to two years at a time and could be renewed. Breaches could lead to a prison sentence. Police and some border officers will also be given the power to seize passports if they have reasonable suspicion that someone is travelling abroad for terror-related activity - including those under the age of 18. Passports could be held for 30 days, subject to a magistrate's review. And airlines could be fined if they did not comply with the UK's requirement to screen passengers and stop suspects from boarding planes. Analysis BBC political correspondent Robin Brant The plans form part of the Counter-Terrorism Bill that the government hopes will be law by the end of January. But it is highly contentious and there are serious concerns about whether it is workable given other established laws on citizenship, immigration and human rights. Critics fear that excluding Britons from returning to the UK - even if they face the most serious national security allegations - could amount to making them stateless. There are numerous questions that lawyers and politicians will have about the legality of what is being proposed. Read more from Robin Brant Strengthen our armoury Addressing Australian MPs, Mr Cameron said: "We have to deal with the threat of foreign fighters planning attacks against our people. Your prime minister has given a strong international lead on this, helping to galvanise the UN Security Council with a powerful address. Last month this parliament passed new legislation to tackle foreign fighters. And we will shortly be introducing our own new Counter-Terrorism Bill in the UK. Mr Cameron said the new powers would stop British nationals returning to the UK "unless they do so on our terms." The rules would also "prevent airlines that don't comply with our no-fly lists or security screening measures from landing in the UK," he said. Government officials have insisted the new powers are not designed to remove citizenship. "We are putting conditions on their [suspects] ability to travel," one official told the BBC. This would significantly strengthen our armoury and would be among the toughest in the world in terms of cracking down on foreign fighters. Yvette Cooper, Labour's shadow home secretary, said "much more" needed to be done to prevent radicalisation in the first place. We will look carefully at any proposals the prime minister brings forward, though with half of the fighters who have gone to Syria having already returned, the government should be introducing mandatory de-radicalisation programmes as a priority. "Our border controls are simply not picking people up, and no new orders will change that," she said. During his speech, Mr Cameron also said the UK was working with internet firms on the issue of removing extremist online material - but added there was still "further to go." "This is their social responsibility and we expect them to live up to it," the prime minister told MPs. Downing Street later said major internet companies had agreed to strengthen filters to ensure children and young people were protected from viewing extremist material. A spokesman said four of the main service providers - BT, Virgin, Sky and TalkTalk - had also agreed to host buttons allowing the public to report extremist material. The measures were "a positive step," Downing Street said.