Clarke denies ‘U-turn’ on proposed terror laws
The Home Office has denied speculation that Charles Clarke is about to drop plans to place terror suspects under house arrest.
The Sunday Times claims the Cabinet has agreed to abandon the plans following concerns expressed by MI5 and the police that suspects’ homes could be targeted by protesters.
The home detention of terror suspects without trial is one of the most controversial aspects of the proposed “control orders” to be set out in the forthcoming anti-terror Bill.
Under the planned changes, the Home Secretary could impose house arrest on terror suspects who could not be deported or place other restrictions on their movements, such as limits on their use of telephones and the internet.
Mr Clarke announced the new measures after judges ruled the detention of foreign terror suspects was unlawful.
Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to meet with opposition leaders Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy later this week, to discuss their concerns.
Commenting on the claims, a Home Office source said the legislation had not yet been drafted and stressed no final decision had been taken.
Speaking from Labour’s spring conference in Gateshead today, Mr Clarke insisted: “I have never actually used the phrase house arrest.”
“What I said in the House of Commons was that we would be introducing a regime of control orders up to and including the ability to restrict people on the premises where they live and that is what we will be doing.
“That regime includes a wide range of different measures all focused on fighting terrorism and protecting our national security.
“Those are the measures that I will take forward.”
Commentators say the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, who objected to the plans for home detention, are likely to portray its omission as a U-turn.
Meanwhile, the Home Office has also denied reports that the Home Secretary may drop his opposition to the use of phone tap evidence in terror trials, a move supported by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
“To suggest that the Home Secretary has made a u-turn on the use of intercept as evidence is nonsense,” a spokeswoman said.
“He told the House of Commons on January 26 and again last week that the Government is not persuaded that the law should be changed to permit the use of intercept in court.”
