Terrorists could be forced to take a lie detector test to prove they have reformed and are not planning another attack, the government has announced.

The plans for "polygraph testing" are part of a slew of measures to reform the way terrorists are punished and monitored.

In the wake of the London Bridge terror attack, tougher sentences which would see terrorists locked up for longer are also included.

Image: Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt were killed in the London Bridge attack

Those deemed not to be a risk would have to serve two-thirds of their sentence before they could be considered for release.

London Bridge attacker Usman Khan, who killed two people, had been released from prison on licence in December 2018, halfway through a 16-year prison sentence.


The new measures are contained in The Counter Terrorism (Sentencing and Release) Bill, which ministers say represents a "major overhaul" of the system.

However, the father of Jack Merritt - who, along with Saskia Jones, was killed by Khan in the November attack on London Bridge - suggested the announcement on lie detector tests was a "cynical, headline-grabbing gimmick to distract our attention".

He also claimed that "keeping terrorists in prison longer will not per se keep people safe, particularly if they are exposed to radicalisation inside".

David Merritt previously criticised Boris Johnson's response to the London Bridge atrocity, accusing the prime minister of trying to score political points during last year's election campaign.

Lie-detector tests planned for convicted terrorists freed on licence. Is this the kind of blue sky thinking Cummings promised us his new generation of “weirdo” advisers would come up with - or a cynical, headline-grabbing gimmick to distract our attention? https://t.co/JiBTBI7kCb — David Merritt (@butwhatifitsall) January 21, 2020

Other measures in the new counter-terror legislation include:

Forcing terrorists who receive extended determinate sentences to serve their full term in prison

Ensuring individuals convicted of serious offences like preparing acts of terrorism or directing a terrorist organisation spend at least 14 years behind bars.

Getting rid of early release for those classed as dangerous and given extended determinate sentences

A doubling in the number of counter terrorism probation officers.

A cash injection of £500,000 to support victims of terrorism and a review of the current services on offer

An increase in the number of places in probation hostels, designed to allow authorities to monitor terrorists in the weeks after their release

A boost to counter terrorism police funding of £90m year-on-year for the coming year to £906m

More special psychologists and trained imams to help assess the risk of radicalised offenders

More training for frontline staff in prison and probation, in order to identify and challenge extremism

The latest figures show there were 44 convictions for terrorism offences in the year to the end of September, with 17 offenders being sent to prison for between four and 10 years.

Five of them were imprisoned for 10 years or more, while one was given a life sentence.

Between 2012 and 2019, around 245 convicted terrorists were freed from jail.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told Sky News' Kay Burley @ Breakfast show that lie detectors were important to identify terror offenders, such as Khan, who are "in effect sleepers for many years".

"We get a lot of people who are superficially very compliant with the regime and sometimes the assessment of risk is a really difficult thing to do," he said.

"You can get people who are in effect sleepers for many years and then suddenly back come the hatreds and the prejudices and we see atrocities like the one we did at Fishmongers' Hall.

"Which is why I think the introduction of polygraphs, the lie testing devices which are already being used in sex offenders, improves the tools that we have in terms of trying to assess that risk, to minimise that risk."

"You can can get terrorists which are in fact 'sleepers' for many years and suddenly back come the hatreds and the prejudices."



Justice sec @RobertBuckland discusses reforms to the way terrorists are sentenced and monitored. JM #KayBurley at #Breakfast pic.twitter.com/EH6YKcX5bL — Kay Burley (@KayBurley) January 21, 2020

But Mr Buckland admitted lie detector tests are not the "be-all-and-end-all" after being challenged over their accuracy levels being as low as 60%.

He added: "I'm not pretending on their own, polygraphs, lie detectors, are the be-all-and-end-all, which is why what we are also doing is doubling the number of specialised counter-terrorism probation officers... improving training, getting more psychologists in there, specialist imams as well will be working with these people."

Mr Buckland also stressed far-right extremism was a cause of terrorism.

Labour's shadow home secretary Diane Abbott claimed the Tories had "undermined" the fight against terrorism during their near-decade in government.

"After ten years in government, a major overhaul now is actually an admission of failure," she said.

"Major terrorist outrages have occurred all too frequently, including attacks by perpetrators who were known to the security services.

"The fight against terrorism has been undermined by cuts to policing, including community policing, a lack of effective coordination between police and security services as well as the flawed Prevent programme.

"All of these need to change if we are going to improve the safety of our citizens."

Christine Jardine, home affairs spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, said judges were already able to lock up terrorists for life - while polygraphs were "not accurate or reliable enough" for such critical decisions.

She added: "We will continue to oppose authoritarian laws that do little to make us safer, but a lot to undermine essential British freedoms."