Amber Rudd plans tougher laws for terrorists using internet

People who repeatedly view terrorist content online could be jailed for up to 15 years under plans announced by the Home Secretary.

Amber Rudd told the Conservative Party Conference on Monday night that counter-terrorism laws must be updated to keep pace with modern online behaviour and to address online radicalisation.

According to the Home Office, in the first eight months of this year, 44,000 URLs to Islamic State propaganda were created and shared.

The new penalty would also apply to terrorists who publish information about members of the armed forces, police and intelligence services for the purposes of preparing acts of terrorism.

Ms Rudd said: "There is currently a gap in the law around material which is viewed or streamed from the internet without being permanently downloaded.

"This is an increasingly common means by which material is accessed online for criminal purposes, and is a particularly prevalent means of viewing extremist material such as videos and web pages."

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson will step into the spotlight at the Conservative Party Conference later, days after igniting another cabinet dispute over the Government’s approach to Brexit.

The Foreign Secretary will address delegates in Manchester this afternoon, speaking in public for the first time since he set out his four Brexit red lines in The Sun newspaper.

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He will follow three other cabinet ministers on the conference hall stage who have aligned themselves with a ‘clean break’ or ‘hard’ Brexit: Priti Patel, Liam Fox and David Davis.

While Prime Minister Theresa May wants delegates to hear the government’s domestic priorities – such as addressing inequality and injustice in the UK by releasing an audit of public services – Brexit has been the main focus among those attending the annual event.

At a packed fringe meeting organised by Leave Means Leave on Monday afternoon, backbencher Jacob Rees Mogg attacked the Treasury for producing a "dishonest and politically inspired" document during the referendum campaign which warned of the economic dangers of leaving the EU.

He absolved the current Chancellor of responsibility, but panellists – including former minister Owen Paterson – warned that Philip Hammond’s language around the limits of an implementation period sounded "open-ended".

In her Florence speech last month Theresa May said such a process should last "about" two years, while Boris Johnson said it shouldn’t be "a second more".

Sky News saw Brexit Secretary David Davis listening at the back of the hall at the start of the event, then leaving after the panel had made their opening remarks.

The Prime Minister will address the conference on Wednesday, hoping to put to bed any suggestion of cabinet splits over her approach to Brexit, while pushing her domestic policies.

There have been a series of announcements designed to appeal to younger voters including a £10bn extension to its help-to-buy scheme, freezing tuition fees and allowing graduates to earn more before they have to start paying back their loans.

There have also been promises of a £400m boost to transport infrastructure in the north of England, while today £65m will be pledged to found an institute designed to make the UK a world leader in battery technology.

But another fire was sparked at the conference when several newspapers reported remarks made by David Davis about his intention to resign.

The Sun claims Mr Davis told journalists at a party on Sunday night he would quit his role on Brexit day, in 2019.

When asked who would deal with the challenges of the implementation phase after he left, he reportedly replied: "Someone else can do that, Boris can do that."

A source close to the Brexit Secretary insists he was being "tongue in cheek".

(c) Sky News 2017: Amber Rudd plans tougher laws for terrorists using internet