Davey celebrates U-turn on "Snooper's Charter"

18.06.02

Edward Davey, Lib Dem MP for Kingston and Surbiton, has expressed his delight at the Government's climbdown over the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Order, following Liberal Democrat pressure. This order would have enabled local councils to have access to private individuals' emails - as well as giving "snooping" access to emails to a while range of government agencies and departments.

The Government appears to have been taken by surprise by the level of opposition to these proposals. It originally planned to push these measures through Committee without debate - but in the face of massive opposition by Lib Dem MPs and Peers, the measures were delayed and instead were due to be debated on the floor of the House of Commons. Continuing opposition and the likelihood of a defeat in the House of Lords led to an announcement this week that the Government has put the proposals on hold indefinitely.

Edward Davey commented:

"The Government were effectively writing their own snoopers' charter.

"No-one underestimates the need for the proper authorities to have the necessary powers to combat crime and terrorism, but this would represent an unwarranted and unjustified extension of state power.

"This is an important victory for the democratic process. It would be entirely inappropriate for quangos and local councils to be able to have these draconian powers.

"These proposals represented a serious and unwarranted threat to individual liberty and should never have been proposed in the first place.