More terrorists are to be held in “jails within jails” to stop hate preachers influencing other prisoners.

       Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, is preparing a major expansion of the use of “separation centres” within high-security prisons where dangerous terrorists will be held for longer to keep them away from other vulnerable prisoners.

       It will be supported by reforms to human rights laws designed to combat claims by the terrorists’ lawyers that separating them from other prisoners breaches their rights to socialise.

       There are three separation units in high-security jails in England and Wales, but they have been underused because of claims by lawyers that they breach prisoners’ “Article 8” rights to a family and private life.

       In one case, convicted killer Jemmikai Orlebar-Forbes, 28, won ￡15,000 from the Government after claiming a breach of his Article 8 rights when he was segregated with other terror offenders at the high-security HMP Frankland in County Durham.

       Signalling the move in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Raab said: “One of the challenges in dealing with terrorist offenders, particularly those who could infect the minds of others, is the issue of separation centres.

       “We are increasingly seeing litigation claims, claiming the Article 8 right as a right to socialising, getting in our way. That’s a good example of the common sense approach [to reform of the human rights laws] and the balance we want to have.”

       Reforms proposed by Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism laws, are expected to be introduced to make it easier for prison governors to place terrorists in the centres at HMP Frankland, Full Sutton near York and Woodhill in Milton Keynes.

       At present, there are just 10 terrorist prisoners held in the “jails within jails”, including Hashem Abedi who helped organise the Manchester Arena attack in which 23 people died.

       It is understood the reforms will mean their placement in the centres will only be reviewed every two years, as opposed to the current three months, which means they could spend longer within them.

       Decisions on whether a convicted terrorist is placed in a separation centre will be based on their level of risk rather than any single act they may have committed, which will make it easier to justify keeping them away from other inmates.

       ‘Incapacitate the radicaliser’

       Terrorists could also be placed within the units as soon as they enter the jail, after their trial, and on the basis of secret intelligence rather than solely on the basis of their offences.

       “The Justice Secretary wants to streamline the process so that we can put people in [separation centres] much more easily and therefore protect the prison population from their invidious influences,” said a Government source.

       “Additionally, if you reform the Human Rights Act, you can remove some of the obstacles that have stopped us putting them into these separation units.”

       Ian Acheson, a former prison governor who reviewed extremism in jails for the Government, welcomed the moves. “The policy benefits are clear for those few people in custody who, by their subversive behaviour, represent a threat to national security,” he said.

       “You isolate people who are determined to continue proselytising hateful ideologies. You separate the hate preacher from their potential audience that they might radicalise. You break that relationship and incapacitate the radicaliser.

       “You tell them they will stay there until you are satisfied that they no longer present a risk to national security and you have the opportunity to address that dangerous and risky behaviour.”