Home secretary John Reid plans to split the Home Office into two distinct departments in a move that could be implemented within months.

One division would focus on national security, handling immigration and anti-terrorism, while the other would handle justice, overseeing the probation and prison systems and working to prevent criminals re-offending.

The home secretary’s decision to push ahead with these proposals follows an admission that elements of the Home Office are “not fit for purpose” and represents the verdict of a departmental review initiated in May, when Mr Reid took over from Charles Clarke.

There will be “no sacred cows when it comes to protecting security and administering justice”, Mr Reid wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

“Whilst in the short-term my focus will be on putting right that which needs the most urgent attention - including the way we deal with the transfer of criminal records information and prison pressures - in the long-term even more radical changes may be unavoidable,” he said.

Former home secretary David Blunkett blocked similar division plans in 2003 and has urged the government to shun such a reshuffle, while the Conservatives branded the proposals as “a pretty serious admission of failure”.

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have yet to publicly endorse the designs, though another former home secretary, Jack Straw, has backed the strategy.

Plans will be submitted to the cabinet for review within the coming weeks.

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