Lib Dems aim to block anti-terror laws
The final day of the Liberal Democrats’ spring conference today will be dominated by a campaign to block the Government’s controversial anti-terror laws.
Delegates will dub the legislation “unlawful, illiberal and ineffective” and an emergency motion will call for the power to impose control orders to be placed in the hand of judges not politicians.
Yesterday, party leader Charles Kennedy urged campaigners to target Labour and the Conservatives equally, so there would be no “glass ceilings” on how many new seats the Liberal Democrats could win at the forthcoming general election.
“More votes, more seats – beyond that no glass ceilings to our ambitions,” the Lib Dems leader declared.
Dubbing his party “the real alternative” to the Government and the “real opposition”, he told a 1,000 strong audience that the party would win “more votes and more seats”.
Mr Kennedy slammed the proposals for new anti-terror laws in his keynote speech to the Harrogate conference and insisted that the Lib Dems were keen to tackle the terror threat, without undermining civil liberties.
He called on the Government to publish its legal advice on the war in Iraq “and if necessary be damned” and the 45-minute speech was greeted with a two-and-a-half minute standing ovation.
The House of Lords is due to vote on the Government’s anti-terror proposals soon, as the Government hopes to pass the bill by March 14 when the existing powers run out.
