The UK Government has backed down over plans to force colleges and universities to provide details of the content of speeches under anti-terrorism plans.

The proposed laws would have seen an outline of the topics to be covered given to the authorities. They had been branded Orwellian, draconian and repressive, whilst threatening freedom of speech, by the Muslim community and Scottish universities.

Home Secretary Theresa May has amended the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill to ensure the duty of universities and colleges protect their students from the risk of being radicalised would no longer require advanced notice from speakers.

The changes emerged as MPs discussed amendments made by peers to the Bill. They were passed unopposed.

Ms May added changes also made "absolutely clear" the duty of universities and higher education institutions under the Government's counter-terrorism Prevent strategy would not override "academic freedom".

Labour also welcomed the need for a judge to examine requests by the Home Secretary to block the return of British terror suspects with temporary exclusion orders, as part of attempts to return them to the UK in a "managed" way, as a "significant U-turn".

Liberal Democrat former minister David Heath said he did not want over-bureaucratic guidance for universities.

The Somerset MP said: "If I had to tell a university that I was speaking at what I was going to say two weeks in advance, I'd be quite incapable of doing so because I don't know what I'm going to say at the moment I stand up to make a speech rather than two weeks in advance."

Labour Muslim MP Yasmin Qureshi claimed the Government was inching Britain towards a "McCarthyite" state where people spy on each other by planning to put preventative measures on to a statutory footing.