Abu Hamza could be expelled under new legislation

The militant Muslim preacher Abu Hamza faces being expelled from Britain within weeks, a minister suggested yesterday.

Beverley Hughes, the Immigration minister, told the Commons that the Egyptian-born cleric's activities were being monitored "very, very closely" and made clear that he could fall foul of new citizenship rules coming into force at the beginning of April.

Mr Hamza, who is banned by the Charity Commission from the Finsbury Park mosque, north London, has been accused of inciting race hatred and of being linked to terrorist groups. Ms Hughes pointed to the Asylum, Nationality and Immigration Act 2002. Clause four of the act, which is about to come into effect, gives the Home Secretary the power to deport individuals if they are judged to be acting against country's interests.

Andrew Dismore, Labour MP for Hendon, called in the Commons for the cleric to lose his citizenship, followed swiftly by deportation, "which the British people think is long overdue". He added: "Abu Hamza continues to spread his message of hate against Jews, Hindus, the US and Britain, has seditiously abused the sanctity of Finsbury Park mosque to incite violence and race hatred, and actively recruited among British Muslims for terrorism abroad and fund-raised for terrorist groups ... [and] is wanted overseas for serious terrorism offences."

Ms Hughes replied: "The activities of the person referred to, and of other people, are being very, very closely monitored. The Government will initiate deprivation action if we consider the facts of an individual case meet the test set out in section four." Ms Hughes also left open the possibility of Britain withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights, but stressed that would be a "tortuous and difficult process".