Ditch 42 days before Strasbourg ditches it for us

12.00.00am GMT Mon 9th Jun 2008

Commenting on the Equality and Human Rights Commission's legal advice published today which states that any move to increase maximum pre-charge detention to 42 days would breach the European Convention on Human Rights, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

"Ministers' persistence with 42 days' detention is looking more and more foolish.

"Neither MI5, the Director of Public Prosecutions nor large numbers of senior police officers believe it to be necessary, and instead fear it may be counter-productive.

"We now have high-powered legal opinion suggesting it is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, and would have to be withdrawn if it were challenged in court.

"Britain already has one of the worst records internationally for having its laws overturned on human rights grounds of any Strasbourg signatory. This would be an embarrassment that would have the British drafters of this key guarantee of European freedoms rolling in their graves.

"The sooner the Home Secretary ditches this plan, the better for all of us."