At Prime Minister’s Questions Charles Kennedy challenged the Prime Minister over the proposed 90 day detention period for terrorist suspects.
Mr Kennedy asked the Prime Minister to acknowledge that as well as taking advice from police, he must “take into account the advice from the Law Lords such as Lord Steyn and Lord Lloyd of Berwick, who have described detention without charge for 90 days as ‘exorbitant,’ and ‘unnecessary,’ and as ‘intolerable.”
The Prime Minister dismissed this, saying “whatever Lord Steyn may say, I’m afraid I prefer, yes I do, I prefer, the advice of the police.”
The Prime Minister then acknowledged he could lose the vote claiming, “sometimes it is better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing.”
Mr Kennedy asked the Prime Minister if he intended to reach a new consensus if the House of Lords rejected the 90 day proposal or “will he ram it through with the Parliament Act?”
ENDS
Full text of exchange follows
Charles Kennedy: Mr Speaker, returning to the exchanges over the proposed terrorism legislation, the Prime Minister will surely acknowledge that a great deal of this bill does command widespread support, across party and throughout the house. For example, the inclusion which I have raised with him at the beginning of this calendar year, here, of the new Acts Preparatory to terrorism, so there is much that we can reach agreement on. So he must surely understand that those who felt that we were going to have the opportunity to record a vote last week, but we did not because of what the Home Secretary had to say, that the Home Secretary said in all sincerity to the house, I am sure, that he was going to have urgent discussions with colleagues, his own party and other parties to see if consensus could be reached. Does the Prime Minister seriously now, today, when we come to vote later on today, saying that he ever thought, the Home Secretary, that a consensus was going to be reached over 90 days?
Prime Minister: The Home Secretary has explained it was not possible to reach a consensus over that, I’m sorry about that, no I am sorry about that. But I’m afraid that the Rt Honourable Gentleman and his colleagues are in exactly the same position as the Conservative Party, they’re going to have to make a decision today. Because, I’m afraid when he said they agree with large parts of the bill, that’s fine, that’s their view. But I have to tell him however, that according to the police, who those charged with fighting terrorism in this country, this is not something that’s peripheral, it’s something that’s central and it’s something that’s vital. And this is not just I have to say, about my leadership, it’s about the leadership of other political parties too. It’s about the leadership of every single person in this house, who’s going to have to make a decision today about the interests of this country, and what I can tell him is I know where I stand on this.
Charles Kennedy: Mr Speaker, when the Prime Minister quite properly speaks of parliamentary responsibility, would he acknowledge that it is the responsibility of parliament of course to take into account the advice coming from the police, but equally to take into account the advice from the Law Lords such as Lord Steyn and Lord Lloyd of Berwick, who have described detention without charge for 90 days, their words, not mine, as ‘exorbitant,’ and ‘unnecessary,’ and as ‘intolerable.’ Now, even if he is successful in getting this measure through today, he is not going to carry this measure in the House of Lords. I will ask him again, what will he do at that juncture, will he seek a fresh consensus, or will he ram it through with the parliament act?
Prime Minister: You know, in exactly the same way that Honourable members in here will have to make up their minds, so will the House of Lords. But I happen to believe that the right thing in these circumstances, whatever Lord Steyn may say, I’m afraid I prefer, yes I do, I prefer, the advice of the police and those charged with looking after this country’s security. And I just have to say to him, that for the House of Lords they will have the same decision. All of us have that decision. When he says should we simply accept what the police put forward, the reason why we are accepting what the police put forward is because the reasons they give in my view to any reasonable person are compelling. This is a different type of terrorism, it requires them to request people earlier, it requires them to develop the evidence to charge them later, that’s why they need this power, and in circumstances where we know and it is accepted that we face a continuing terrorist threat in this country, I just have to say I find the position of the Liberal Democrats unsurprising, I find the position of the Conservative party surprising, but whichever it is, sometimes actually it is, sometimes it is better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing.
ENDS
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