Theresa May announces new powers to tackle internet jihadists

But these IP addresses are usually shared between many different people using the internet in the same location, instead of being allocated to individual devices or customers.

This can make it impossible for police to find out who was using an IP address at a particular time, potentially hampering officers ability to identify terror suspects communicating with each other online, according to the Home Office.

At present companies providing internet services are not required to keep records of extra data that can show which individuals have used a particular IP address at a given time, even though this information exists.

Under Mrs Mays plan, this will change, forcing internet companies to keep more detailed records which are capable of showing which individuals used particular IP addresses to communicate online for 12 months.

Ministers believe this will make it possible for police and intelligence agencies to identify individuals who have put illegal material on the internet, including images of child pornography, as well as messages sent between members of a terrorist cell.

However, speaking ahead of the publication of the Bill, the Home Secretary warned that further steps would be needed to keep Britain safe from terrorists, and other criminals.

She promised to continue to campaign for the tighter measures contained in the Draft Communications Data Bill, which was vetoed by Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister.

The Draft Communications Data Bill would have enabled security agencies to examine logs of websites that individuals have visited, a power that Conservatives believe is necessary for national security but is opposed on civil liberty grounds by Lib Dems.

Mrs May said: Loss of the capabilities on which we have always relied is the great danger we face. The Bill provides the opportunity to resolve the very real problems that exist around IP resolution and is a step in the right direction towards bridging the overall communications data capability gap.

But I believe that we need to make further changes to the law. It is a matter of national security and we must keep on making the case for the Communications Data Bill until we get the changes we need.

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Theresa May announces new powers to tackle internet jihadists