Powers to freeze terror bank accounts after Brexit

TOUGHER powers to seize terrorists’ homes and cars and to block their access to bank accounts will be announced today.

The measures form part of a new law that will create the UK’s sanctions regime post-Brexit.

Britain currently negotiates and imposes non-United Nations international sanctions through European Union laws.

A Sanctions Bill will be put before Parliament to ensure it has the legal powers to place restrictions on foreign countries after the UK’s EU withdrawal in 2019.

It will include additional powers to ensure ministers can freeze terrorists’ assets more easily.

Under existing rules, the Government must have ‘reasonable belief’ that someone is involved in terrorism and that freezing their assets is necessary to protect the public in order to take financial action.

But under the new plans the bar would be lowered, so ministers would only need to have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect a person or group is involved in terrorism, and that sanctions are an ‘appropriate action’.

Yesterday economic secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay said: ‘These new powers will help us keep the British

‘Keep public safer from attacks’

public safer from terrorist attacks by keeping money out of the hands of those wishing to cause us harm.

‘Our counter terrorist financing proposals will make it easier for law enforcement and Government to impose sanctions on those that present a threat to our national or international security.’

Currently the UK implements more than 30 sanctions regimes, including against countries like Russia, North Korea and Iran, as well as terror groups such as Islamic State.

As well as taking back sanctions powers from Brussels, the Sanctions Bill will give individuals the opportunity to challenge sanctions and create exemptions, for example if ministers want to deliver humanitarian aid.

Europe minister Sir Alan Duncan said: ‘The new Sanctions Bill will ensure that when the UK leaves the European Union, we retain the ability to impose, update and lift sanctions regimes, both to comply with our international obligations and in pursuit of our foreign policy and national security objectives.’