The home secretary is coming under pressure from Downing Street and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to water down his plans to extend anti-terrorism powers.

David Blunkett is being urged to tone down today's Commons statement and in particular to ditch the key proposal to lower the burden of proof needed to detain British terror suspects.

"People are reluctant to go as far as he wants to go. It's going to be blander than he would have wanted," a Whitehall source tells the FT.