The UK’s terror threat level has been raised from substantial to severe. It is the second highest ranking and classifies an attack on the UK as highly likely.

The situations in Syria and Iraq have been given as the primary reason for the change. British Prime Minister David Cameron gave a press conference to address the issue:

“What we are facing in Iraq now with ISIL is a greater and deeper threat to our security than we have known before. With ISIL we are facing a terrorist organisation not being hosted in a country, but actually seeking to establish, and then violently expand its own terrorist state.”

Prompted by the spread of Islamic State its atrocities, Prime Minister David Cameron also announced plans to introduce new powers that would allow authorities to strip terror suspects of their passports:

“It is becoming clear that there is some gaps in our armoury and we need to strengthen them. We need to do more to stop people travelling, to stop those who do go from returning, and to deal decisively with those who are already here.”

The measures are set to be put before the UK’s parliament on Monday.

If passed they would become the first such legal changes since IS took over large areas of Iraq and Syria.