Sir Alan West, who was appointed security and counter-terrorism minister by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last month, told the Sunday Telegraph that Britain was facing its greatest threat yet.

West, formerly head of the Royal Navy, added that new emphasis was needed, with prevention of radicalisation at its heart.

"This is not a quick thing. I believe it will take 10 to 15 years. But I think it can be done as long as we as a nation apply ourselves to it and it's done across the board," he was quoted as saying.

His comments came as Brown called for more international information flow on potential terror suspects.

"If there is information in one country about the potential recruitment or the actual recruitment of someone to a terrorist group, then that should be information that's flowing to another country," he told Sky News television.

"I think it is very important that we tighten this up and it is something we are looking at as a matter of urgency."

Just two days after Brown took over from Tony Blair, two car bombs were discovered in central London on June 29. A flaming Jeep Cherokee slammed into Glasgow airport's main terminal the following day.