The proposal is revealed in a draft of EU anti-terror plans that would cover every air passenger entering or leaving EU countries seen by the Guardian.

It reports that Britain wants to extend the plan to include sea and rail travel, all domestic flights and those between EU countries.

The Home Office says a pilot of the passenger name record system has already resulted in more than 1,400 arrests, but the scheme has been denounced by civil libertarians and data protection officials.

The newspaper reports that according to a questionnaire circulated to EU members by the European Commission, the UK is the only country of 27 EU member states that wants the system used for "more general public policy purposes" besides fighting terrorism and organised crime.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We broadly welcome the commission's proposal. This is a key opportunity to share data safely and responsibly in order to improve the security and integrity of our borders."

The scheme would work through national agencies collecting and processing the passenger data and then sharing it with other EU states. The Guardian reports Britain also wants to be able to exchange the information with third parties outside the EU.

Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford told the newspaper: "Where is this going to stop? There's no mature discussion of risk. As soon as you question something like this, you're soft on terrorism in the UK and in the EU."