Johnson plans new treason laws to fight terrorist groups

BORIS JOHNSON has pledged to reform Britain’s archaic treason laws in order to better deal with transnational terrorist groups.

The Prime Minister will today announce a major integrated defence, security and foreign policy review which will commence after Brexit.

As part of the review, Britain’s medieval treason laws will be examined.

Mr Johnson said: “Our treason laws must be updated to deal with transnational terrorist groups.”

Britain’s outdated laws constrain action and were written before modern technologies were invented, according to Mr Johnson, who warned that terrorist groups in the UK and abroad were exploiting legal loopholes.

Tory MPs have pushed for a new Treason Act to introduce life sentences for those who support militant groups engaged in combat with UK troops.

In July, the then foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt told The Sunday Telegraph the Tories would rewrite Britain’s treason laws to include more legal options to successfully prosecute hate preachers. Returning jihadist fighters and their supporters would spend a lifetime behind bars under the proposed Treason Act. The definition of treachery would be updated to include supporting foreign states and groups with which the UK was engaged in armed conflict.

Mr Johnson said the review would be the most extensive since the end of the Cold War. It will be run from No10 and will be one of his top priorities in 2020 if re-elected, Mr Johnson said.