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| Use of Terrorism Act to be debated after David Miranda detainment | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An emergency motion condemning the "over-broad" use of the Terrorism Act of 2000, which was used to detain David Miranda at Heathrow airport last month, is to be debated at the Liberal Democrat conference on Wednesday. | |
| Lady Ludford, a Lib Dem MEP, secured a debate on the act after denouncing the "outrageous" suggestion of the Home Office that anyone who questioned the detention of Miranda was in danger of condoning terrorism. | |
| Ludford's motion asks the conference to say that it is "disturbed" by the "extensive use" of schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act of 2000. The act allows police to detain anyone at a port or an airport even if they have no grounds to suspect them of terrorist activity. | |
| Miranda is the partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has written a string of stories about widespread electronic surveillance by the NSA, based on files leaked by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden. | Miranda is the partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has written a string of stories about widespread electronic surveillance by the NSA, based on files leaked by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden. |
| Miranda was detained for nine hours at Heathrow – the maximum time allowed under the act – and police seized his electronic equipment. Miranda had been carrying data from Laura Poitras, the filmmaker who has played a key role in reporting on the NSA files and is now based in Berlin, to his partner in Rio de Janeiro. | Miranda was detained for nine hours at Heathrow – the maximum time allowed under the act – and police seized his electronic equipment. Miranda had been carrying data from Laura Poitras, the filmmaker who has played a key role in reporting on the NSA files and is now based in Berlin, to his partner in Rio de Janeiro. |
| Ludford's motion asks the Lib Dem conference to heed the advice of David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. He said after Miranda's detention that parliament should consider ending the right of police to detain anyone without reasonable grounds of suspicion. | Ludford's motion asks the Lib Dem conference to heed the advice of David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. He said after Miranda's detention that parliament should consider ending the right of police to detain anyone without reasonable grounds of suspicion. |
| Anderson is due to report on whether the terrorism act was used appropriately in Miranda's detention. Ludford, who said Anderson's judgment would be an important step, said she found it difficult to understand how it could be right to detain Miranda under the act, which says that police have to question a detainee to establish whether they have been involved in the preparation, commission or instigation of terrorism. | Anderson is due to report on whether the terrorism act was used appropriately in Miranda's detention. Ludford, who said Anderson's judgment would be an important step, said she found it difficult to understand how it could be right to detain Miranda under the act, which says that police have to question a detainee to establish whether they have been involved in the preparation, commission or instigation of terrorism. |
| Ludford, a barrister, told the Guardian: "I can't immediately see how this fitted schedule 7. Even if he was carrying documents that could breach national security or could assist the bad guys – that surely would be a different kind of offence, a breach of the Official Secrets Act." | Ludford, a barrister, told the Guardian: "I can't immediately see how this fitted schedule 7. Even if he was carrying documents that could breach national security or could assist the bad guys – that surely would be a different kind of offence, a breach of the Official Secrets Act." |
| The Lib Dem MEP said she found the disclosures about mass surveillance uncovered by the Guardian "very disturbing". She said: "I am not naive. The intelligence services have an incredibly difficult job. They have got to have the necessary powers. But I want to have confidence that the people overseeing all of this – the home secretary, the government in general, and the intelligence and security committee and the intelligence commissioners – are doing a proper job. I don't expect to know what the intelligence services precisely are doing. But I want to know that I can trust the people who are overseeing them, who have the security clearance, to uphold civil liberties and not allow it to go further than necessity and proportionality demands." | The Lib Dem MEP said she found the disclosures about mass surveillance uncovered by the Guardian "very disturbing". She said: "I am not naive. The intelligence services have an incredibly difficult job. They have got to have the necessary powers. But I want to have confidence that the people overseeing all of this – the home secretary, the government in general, and the intelligence and security committee and the intelligence commissioners – are doing a proper job. I don't expect to know what the intelligence services precisely are doing. But I want to know that I can trust the people who are overseeing them, who have the security clearance, to uphold civil liberties and not allow it to go further than necessity and proportionality demands." |
| Ludford said she was concerned that Westminster has largely ignored the issue. "I have been rather concerned at the lack of debate. I am told the home affairs select committee is supposed to be doing a report. But the rest of the world is jumping up and down and Westminster does not seem to have overexercised itself."The Lib Dem MEP said that Nick Clegg's response to the detention of Miranda had been "reasonable". The deputy prime minister raised questions in a Guardian article last month whether police acted lawfully in "forcibly detaining" Miranda. | Ludford said she was concerned that Westminster has largely ignored the issue. "I have been rather concerned at the lack of debate. I am told the home affairs select committee is supposed to be doing a report. But the rest of the world is jumping up and down and Westminster does not seem to have overexercised itself."The Lib Dem MEP said that Nick Clegg's response to the detention of Miranda had been "reasonable". The deputy prime minister raised questions in a Guardian article last month whether police acted lawfully in "forcibly detaining" Miranda. |