Emergency legislation will force phone and internet companies to log records of customer calls, texts and internet use

Emergency phone and internet data storage law is expected to be brought in next week.

12:30 10 July 2014

A proposed law, which is backed up by Labour and the coalition parties, is expected to be brought in next week to force phone and internet companies to log records of customer calls, texts, and internet use so police and security services can access the data. The moves comes after a legal ruling which declared existing powers invalid.

Prime Minister David Cameron and his Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg related to a special cabinet meeting on Thursday that emergency legislation, which will only be in effect until 2016, is needed to 'keep the country safe'.

As the new proposed law meant giving the police and security services access to phone and internet data, it is expected to be controversial and will be the subject of debate.

The emergency legislation will oblige telecom firms to retain data for 12 months. Under the European law, companies could be asked to retain data for 24 months.

Meanwhile, telecoms companies are said to have warned ministers that after the Edward Snowden revelations they are vulnerable to legal challenge by their customers.