Police officers, intelligence agents and legal experts are going to work together in a new Counter Terrorism Operations Centre, in an attempt to better thwart terror attacks.
Details of the new unit, which is already dubbed ‘CTOC’ in law enforcement circles, will be announced as Boris Johnson unveils his 10-year vision for foreign policy.
The centre is an attempt to avoid weaknesses in counter-terrorism operations revealed in 2017, when Britain suffered five terror incidents in a single year.
Counter-terrorism officers, agents from MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, and judicial experts are all expected to be seconded to CTOC, improving cross-agency working.
The centre will both plan how to avoid future potential terror attacks and act as an operational hub if such an incident occurs.
It will be based at an as-yet undisclosed London location and go live later this year, gradually scaling up to full capacity.
A Number 10 spokesman said CTOC “will significantly improve our ability to thwart terrorists, while also dealing with the actions of hostile states”.
A spokesman for Counter Terrorism Policing said the centre would “transform” the ability for law enforcement to “keep the country safe from terrorism and wider threats”.
The unit forms part of the Integrated Review, which the Prime Minister will announce today in the House of Commons. The document is around 100 pages long.
It is the culmination of months of work and an attempt to flesh out what Mr Johnson’s post-Brexit ‘Global Britain’ vision means in practice for security, diplomacy, and foreign relations.
The document will announce a tilt to the Indo-Pacific, with Mr Johnson due to visit India next month in his first official foreign trip in more than a year.
It will argue the UK can no longer rely on the post-Cold War international system to guarantee its national interests, with “increased international activism” needed instead.
Leaked extracts of the document seen by The Telegraph reveal that Mr Johnson will also vow to continue to offer military protection to Gibraltar and the Falklands.
Another section seen by The Telegraph shows the UK will spend at least £6.6 billion over the next four years on R&D, including on cyber, space and “engineering biology”.
There will also be confirmation that Britain plans to launch commercial satellites into space from Scotland in 2022 as part of the UK’s Space Agency program.
Number 10 has also confirmed that a “situation centre” based in the Cabinet Office will be created in an attempt to improve the use of data to respond to future crises.
Mr Johnson will say: “I am profoundly optimistic about the UK’s place in the world and our ability to seize the opportunities ahead.
“The ingenuity of our citizens and the strength of our Union will combine with our international partnerships, modernised Armed Forces and a new green agenda, enabling us to look forward with confidence as we shape the world of the future.”