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Former top lawyer says anti-terror laws 'may not be legal'

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve has voiced concerns about the legality of new anti-terror measures, while Labour has accused the Government of being "unclear" in their plans.

The comments come after David Cameron unveiled a series of new measures including giving police the powers to seize passports at UK borders of British citizens they suspect could be travelling abroad to fight with terror groups.

The move follows the announcement on Friday that the UK's terror threat has been upgraded from 'substantial' to 'severe', with the Home Secretary saying an attempted attack was now "highly likely".

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Poll: UK Public 'oppose airstrikes on Islamic State'

A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa, Iraq. Credit: Reuters

The majority of the British public still oppose airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, according to a poll.

Research by ComRes for the Independent found 35% of people thought the UK should take the action, compared to 50% who disagreed.

The idea of committing ground troops is even less popular, with just 20% in favour and 69% opposed.

The findings emerged after David Cameron again refused completely to rule out joining an international air campaign against IS.

Some 61% supported taking away the passports and citizenship of Britons suspected of joining the extremist group.

ComRes interviewed 1,001 adults by telephone between August 29 and 31. Data were weighted to represent the population and by past vote recall.

More: Communities need help to stop extremism at its roots

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Former top lawyer says anti-terror laws 'may not be legal'

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