Clarke publishes anti-terror plans

Scotsman
Oct. 12, 2005

The Government's controversial anti-terror measures are set to be published in full, with Home Secretary Charles Clarke already signalling possible concessions on plans to detain suspects for three months without charge.

The Terrorism Bill could also make glorifying or indirectly encouraging terrorism an offence carrying up to seven years' imprisonment.

The publication comes as the most senior judge in England and Wales, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, issued a warning against ministers trying to "browbeat" the courts over how legislation should be applied.

On Tuesday Mr Clarke told the all-party Home Affairs Select Committee the proposed three-month time limit on police questioning of terror suspects was "not God given", and acknowledged he was unlikely to reach cross-party agreement in Parliament.

Mr Clarke also said he would look at the Law Society's suggestion that the new detention powers should be overseen by a High Court judge rather than a district judge, and at whether all prosecutions brought under the Bill should be sanctioned by the Attorney General.

But Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking at his monthly press conference at 10 Downing Street, insisted the police had come forward with a "compelling" case for why they need the extra time to investigate terrorist crimes.

He said: "If the police, charged with fighting terrorism in this country, say to me and to the Members of Parliament 'This is why we need it', and that case is a good and compelling case - as I find it is - then my duty is to do it, unless someone can come forward with a very good argument why their case is unsound."

And he insisted he did not believe there was any real danger that police would use the power indiscriminately, saying: "I don't agree that the police would simply bang up anybody they wanted to bang up."

The Law Society argued in written submissions to the Home Affairs Select Committee that increasing detention powers from 14 days to three months was "tantamount to internment". But Mr Clarke responded: "It's not internment. It's nothing like what happened in Northern Ireland."

The Home Secretary also indicated that in some future legislation it may be necessary to change the rules on how police can question suspects. At present, they cannot question someone about newly-discovered evidence if they have already been charged.

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