Chris Huhne

Tories challenged to end control orders hypocrisy – Huhne

Ahead of the debate in the House of Commons on the renewal of the use of control orders for another year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne has written to the Conservatives to ask them if they will be voting against this renewal in the debate.

Chris Huhne said:

“We should not be the sort of country where ministers put people under house arrest without them even knowing the accusations against them. Control orders are pure Kafka and must end.

“Control orders are a constant reproach to Labour’s liberal credentials. The Conservatives have promised to vote with us against them but have repeatedly bottled out of doing so.

“Their line seems to be ‘Lord, make me liberal but not yet’.”

Notes to Editors

1. Patrick Mercer said the Tories supported control orders with great reluctance in the debate on control orders on 22 February 2007, but would not be able to do so the following year:

“In conclusion, and to answer the question asked by the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne), we will support the extension with great reluctance, but we must put the Government on notice that, in view of Lord Carlile’s latest report, we will not be able to sustain our position this time next year. Will the Minister assure me that there will be a review of all control order cases with the explicit intention of prosecuting when the evidence is available to do so? We have to bring the system to an end and we have to end the injustice. We have to take dangerous and subversive people off our streets, but the system does not allow that to happen.”

http://pubs1.tso.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070222/debtext/70222-0008.htm#07022240000005

2. The Liberal Democrats voted against control orders last year, the Tories abstained:

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2008-02-21b.561.0

3. The full text of Chris Huhne’s letter to Chris Grayling is below:

Dear Chris,

Ahead of the scheduled debate on the Motion relating to the Draft Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 (Continuance in force of sections 1 to 9) Order 2010 on 1st March, I am writing to ask you whether you and your party intend to oppose or support the motion.

In 2007, your party voted with the Government to renew these control order provisions, although the then Shadow Security Spokesperson, your colleague Patrick Mercer, did express serious reservations and pledged not to support another renewal unless the regime was substantially improved, and I quote:

“…we will support the extension with great reluctance, but we must put the Government on notice that, in view of Lord Carlile’s latest report, we will not be able to sustain our position this time next year.”

However, your party, far from voting against the renewal, abstained in both 2008 and 2009. More recently, your Shadow Security Spokesperson Baroness Neville-Jones has said:

“Control orders deny due process to the defendant, do not provide a reliable remedy to the security problem posed by terrorist suspects, and on top of all that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. A Conservative government would review the morally objectionable and costly control order regime with a view, consistent with the security situation, to replacing it by the trial of suspects through the normal court system.”

In light of these comments and of the recent High Court ruling, which revoked two control orders and stated that controlees must be provided with more information on the case against them, will you and your Party now end your tacit approval of these control orders and vote with the Liberal Democrats on 1st March to have them scrapped?