Smith attacks Tory 'opportunism'

The home secretary has accused the Conservative Party of "opportunism" for opposing her bid to extend the amount of time terror suspects can be detained without charge.

 

In an interview with the Guardian, Jacqui Smith described her Tory shadow, David Davis, as "a man that has shown no interest in seeking a political agreement."

 

Smith also accused Davis of ignoring personal assurances by senior police officers that they supported the reforms being proposed by the government.

 

The government wants to increase pre-charge detention form 28 to 42-days, subject to retrospective parliamentary scrutiny.

 

This had been structured to build on Tory proposals, and were more liberal than those advanced by the Conservatives, Smith insisted.

 

"We have genuinely looked at the civil contingencies proposition, put forward by the Conservatives, especially the fact that it is time limited, triggered by a specific set of operational circumstances. We have recognised that is a reasonable architecture for what we should do. We have really thought how close can we get to their proposals.

 

"We have moved an immense distance to meet them, but there is a question as to whether the Tories were ever serious about seeking a consensus or not," Smith said.

 

Urging the Conservative leader to force the shadow home secretary to rethink his opposition she went on: "I think when David Cameron focuses his attention on this, he will find it hard to discern the difference between what Davis has proposed and what we have come up with.

 

"There is a political opportunity for him. He could say, 'Look we have taken this seriously, we have made some suggestions, the government has moved, between us we have been serious politicians and together we have solved a terrorism problem', or he could be in a different position."