Backlash over plans to monitor all internet use Theresa May was hit by a backlash from across the political spectrum and from civil liberties groups over her plans to increase the power of police and security services to monitor messages sent online every day by millions of Britons. The Information Commissioner - who has previously made clear he does not believe such plans are justified - warned the Home Secretary he would press for safeguards to protect privacy. Amid criticism that the scheme runs counter to Tory and Liberal Democrat pre-election opposition to the "Big Brother" scheme, Ms May has been summoned before MPs to justify her proposals. Under legislation in next month's Queen's Speech, law enforcement agencies will gain extra powers to access information about contacts through Skype and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Internet companies will also reportedly be told to install hardware allowing GCHQ to examine "on demand" any phone call made, text message and email sent, and website accessed, in "real time" and without a warrant. Similar proposals were abandoned in 2009 by the last Labour government. Downing Street said yesterday any moves would cover details of when messages were sent and who the recipients were, but stressed it would not include the contents of calls and emails. The Prime Minister's spokesman also said the plans would be "consistent" with his commitment to civil liberties. He said: "What we need to make sure is that as technology changes we are able to maintain our capability in this area." However, Tory MPs demanded a rethink by the Home Secretary. Dominic Raab, the MP for Esher and Walton, predicted: "There will be a groundswell of opinion, both about the privacy aspects and the value of this as a law enforcement measure. I'm sure that will spread to Conservative members, as well as Liberal Democrats. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the MP for Somerset North East, said: "The Government ought to remember why it favoured liberty in opposition." A spokeswoman for the Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, also made clear his unease over the proposals. She said: "The Information Commissioner's role in this Home Office project, both under this government and the last, has been to press for the necessary limitations and safeguards to mitigate the impact on citizens' privacy." She said he would continue to seek assurances and called for a thorough assessment of the impact of the plans on individuals' liberty. In an internal briefing paper 18 months ago, the Commissioner's office said it did not support the retention of extra information - and raised doubts over its effectiveness in criminal investigations. The paper warned: "There needs to be some recognition that this additional data will be a honeypot as it will reveal the browsing habits of celebrities, politicians, etc." Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said he would call Ms May and Charles Farr, head of the office of security and counter-terrorism at the Home Office. They would be asked to "answer questions as to how information-sharing in real time between internet service providers and GCHQ will operate and how it is different from what the Labour government suggested which was so strongly opposed by both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties." Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, said he was "totally opposed" to the idea of governments reading people's emails at will. He said: "All we are doing is updating the rules which currently apply to mobile telephone calls to allow the police and security services to go after terrorists and serious criminals, and updating that to apply to technology like Skype."