27 December 2007

Labour Revolt Over 42 Day Detention

A survey of Labour MPs, by ComRes on behalf of Liberty, shows that only 36% of Labour MPs support extending detention beyond the current 28-day limit.

A temporary extension during a national emergency attracted the support of barely half (51%) of Labour MPs.

Sir Ken Macdonald, the director of Public Prosecutions, reiterated his view that the 28-day limit was working well, and told Radio 4's "The World At One" that ministers wanted:

to pass laws based on a theoretical threat. "I think the basic point is whether you want to legislate on the basis of hypotheticals or whether you want to legislate on the basis of the evidence that we have acquired through practice ... It seems to me that if you are legislating in an area which is going to curtail civil liberties to a significant extent, it is better to proceed by way of the evidence and the evidence of experience."

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