11 November 2005
Dear Constituent,
Last May I was delighted to be elected as the Labour MP for this area. I firmly believe that the eighth poorest borough in Britain needs a Labour MP and a Labour government. But I also promised that whilst being a proud member of the Labour backbenches, I would be principled and independent minded representative. The last few weeks have been very difficult. I was deeply concerned at the proposal in the government’s Terrorism Bill to detain suspected terrorists for up to 90 days without charge. Our borough lost 12 people on July 7th. None of us are soft on terrorism. The debate is how best to ensure that we are safe.
The police made very strong representations on the need to extend the period of detention. I read the material and questioned Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman and Peter Clark from the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist branch. However, I was not convinced by the evidence they presented for a number of reasons.
• The police already have significant powers. Currently they can detain terrorist suspects for 14 days without charge. This is much longer than many other countries that face a terrorist threat. In Australia, for example, they are currently evaluating proposals to increase the maximum period to 14 days.
• Further, the police have the power to use control orders against those suspected of planning terrorist attacks – essentially placing them under house arrest.
• A period of 90 days detention would not have prevented the July bombings
• In the main case that the police provided as an example, they had charged the suspects and investigated them for two years. Eventually, none of them were convicted for any terrorist offences.
• The most effective weapon against terrorism is information. We learnt this from our experience in Northern Ireland. No information will be forthcoming from a community that sees itself as being marginalised. The impact on community relations if innocent young men were jailed, only to be later released had not been given weight. I believe that only when communities are close and trust each other will we be safe.
You can read more about my views in my speech to Parliament, which is enclosed.
The strong representations made by the police persuaded some Members and so I sought a compromise. I seconded the amendment proposed by fellow Labour backbencher, David Winnick MP, to restrict this period to a maximum of 28 days detention without charge.
I wanted to hear your views on this critical and sensitive issue. I am very grateful to all of you who participated in my email survey last week. Your views were of great importance to me. The full results available by clicking here but a clear majority were against the extension to 90 days. Please click here if you would like to receive my e-mail newsletter.
Following careful deliberation and with a heavy heart, I eventually came to the conclusion that the right thing to do was to vote against my government. As you probably know, Parliament decided to restrict the amount of time that someone could be detained without charge to our original suggestion of 28 days.
Not everyone will agree with the stance I took, but I hope you will appreciate that I made this difficult decision in the genuine belief that it would best safeguard the security of my constituents.
Yours faithfully
Emily Thornberry MP
Islington South and Finsbury
Islington Residents Oppose 90 Day Detention
Keep in touch
