Here is the letter which is printed in today’s Daily Mail. It was originally sent to the Times, but they refused us. The Daily Mail has run a long-standing campaign against the Justice and Security Bill. We may not like much of what they say, but on this issue the Mail is absolutely right.
I’ve added in the signatures we received after the noon deadline. There are now 130 Liberal Democrat members, peers, MEPs, Councillors, local party chairs and officers and campaigners who are calling for all MPs to do the right thing when the Justice and Security Bill is debated this afternoon.
Letter to the Daily Mail 4th March 2013
Dear Sir,
We are writing to urge all MPs to do the right thing by voting against Part II of the Justice and Security Bill when it has its Report stage in the Commons today.
The Justice and Security Bill runs a coach and horses through fair trial guarantees which have been part of our country’s constitution since the Civil War and which were first enshrined in the Magna Carta. The secret court measures contained in the Bill could even apply to habeas corpus proceedings.
The stakes for our country could not be higher. The “War on Terror” led to many mistakes: liberty was sacrificed in the name of security. This led directly to British agents facilitating kidnap and torture such as the cases of Binyam Mohammed and Abdul-Hakim Belhaj. For those who are victims of such crimes to be shut out of the trials of their own claims for damages runs totally contrary to any notion of justice.
As the Special Advocates reiterated last week, the case for this Bill has not been made. The Joint Committee on Human Rights reported on 28th February 2013 that the government has failed to meet its requirements to make “Closed Material Procedures” less unfair.
We call on all MPs now to act before it is too late, and they become complicit in irrevocable damage to our constitution.
This issue goes beyond party politics. However, as Liberal Democrats the protection of civil liberties is of crucial importance. We are looking to Nick Clegg to lead the Liberal Democrat MPs in opposition to the Bill. Opposition to Part II is what liberal democracy demands of us. Secret courts must not form any part of the legacy of a government in which Liberal Democrats have a role.
Yours faithfully,
- Jo Shaw, Member of Liberal Democrat Federal Executive, London
- Martin Tod, Member of Liberal Democrat Federal Executive, Winchester
- Sarah Ludford MEP
- David Howarth, Cambridge
- Lord Strasburger
- Professor Philippe Sands QC, Camden
- Sandra Gidley, Romsey
- Robin Meltzer, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Richmond
- Elaine Bagshaw, Federal Executive member, London
- Daisy Cooper, Federal Executive member
- Mark Pack, Federal Policy Committee member
- Gareth Epps, Federal Policy Committee, Social Liberal Forum co-chair
- Benjamin Mathis, Hackney
- Sally Hooker, Greenwich
- Tracy Connell, Newcastle, Regional Officer
- Christina Shaw, Leeds NW
- David Shaw, Leeds NW
- Matt Whayman, Runnymede and Weybridge
- Chris Richards, Camden
- John L Oakes, London N6
- Paula Keaveney, Liverpool, Police and Crime Commissioner candidate, Merseyside
- Alix Mortimer, Haringey
- Tom Polak – Campaigns Secretary Nottingham Liberal Youth
- Rob Knight, Haringey
- Caron Lindsay, Member of Liberal Democrat Federal Executive, Livingston
- Charlotte Henry, Liberal Reform, Barnet
- Gemma Roulston, membership secretary, LDDA
- Lady Ellen Dahrendorf, London NW3
- Ruth Edmonds, Oxford
- Nick Thornsby, Liberal Reform, Rochdale
- Geoff Hinchliffe, Shipdham
- Peter Lloyd, Birmingham
- Councillor Jonathan Bloch
- Mark Platt, Westminster & City of London party
- Tom Barney
- Roger Crouch, Twickenham
- Jennifer Liddle, Cambridgeshire
- Kirsten de Keyser, Camden
- Andrew Brown, Bristol
- Simon McGrath, Chair, Merton Liberal Democrats, Liberal Reform
- Scott Walker, Nottingham
- John Faulkner, Guildford
- Kat Dadswell, Liverpool
- Cllr James Baker, Calderdale Liberal Democrats.
- Emily Fieran-Reed, Islington
- Cllr Alaric Rose, Cherwell District Council
- David Wright, Harlow
- Nick Barlow, Colchester
- Tony Miller, President, Ealing Liberal Democrats
- Phil Stevens Chair Liberal Democrat Disability Association
- Mrs Janet King, Chair, Bromsgrove Liberal Democrats
- Corry Cashman, Leighton Buzzard
- Prof. Denis Mollison, Musselburgh
- Cllr Richard Cheney, Lib Dem Group Leader, Stratford DC
- Robert Leslie, Treasurer, Banffshire & Buchan Coast Liberal Democrats
- Hannah Bettsworth, Edinburgh South
- Simon P. Hughes, Epping Forest, Social Liberal Forum
- Richard Broadbent, Sutton
- Jonathan Price, London SE24
- Chris Smart, Chester
- Fionn O’Donovan, Oxford
- Richard Lowe
- Prateek Buch
- Charles Scanlan, London NW8
- Chris Nelson, Kettering & Wellingborough
- Rev Simon Wilson, Broadland
- Peter Brooks
- Neville Farmer
- Cllr Janet Battye, Liberal Democrat Leader, Calderdale MBC
- Anthony Fairclough, London Region Exec & Merton Borough
- Jonathan Calder
- David Abrahams, Camden
- Richard Morris, Richmond and Twickenham
- Alex Marsh, Bristol
- Geoff Payne, Hertfordshire
- Peter Reisdorf, West Kirby
- Bridget Fox, Islington
- Paul Wild, Walsall
- Lisa Smart, Hazel Grove
- Ros Gordon, Hampshire
- Patrick Hadfield, Edinburgh
- Lancelot Casely-Hayford, Liberal Youth Campaigns Officer
- Reece Edmends – Liberal Youth Non-Portfolio Officer
- Timothy Oliver, Hull
- Ellis R Palmer, Secretary of the Univeristy of Birmingham Liberal Democrats
- Robert Pitt, Secretary, Leeds Liberal Youth
- Kavya Kaushik, Liberal Youth co-Chair
- Joe Donnelly, Chair of Durham University Liberal Democrats
- Kevin McNamara, President of University of Kent Liberal Democrats
- Sam Fisk, Liberal Youth co-Chair
- Jezz Palmer, Youth and Student Rep, Winchester
- Conor McKenzie, Harrogate, Liberal Youth International Officer
- Ashley Wilkes – President of Lancaster University Liberal Democrats
- Jonathan Lancaster, York Outer
- Alexander J. Harding Last, Ipswich
- Will Fielding, Hull and Hessle Liberal Youth Officer
- Harry Matthews, Sheffield
- Alex Barry, Norwich
- Stuart Wheatcroft, Chair, West Midlands Liberal Youth
- James Higgin, Aberdeen
- Emma Sandrey, Cardiff Central
- Samuel Barratt
- Cllr Mathew Hulbert, Barwell, Leicestershire
- Dr Maria Pretzler, Swansea & Gower
- Katrin McClure, East Yorks
- Cllr Keith Moffitt, Leader, Liberal Democrats, Camden
- Conor McGovern-Paul, Kingston-upon-Thames
- Marek Lipinski, Ealing
- Jacquie Bell, Dunbar, Scotland
- Brian James Woodcraft,Eltham, London
- Jean Evans, Chester
- Jason Lower, Tonbridge and Malling
- Cllr Terry Stacy, Leader, Islington Liberal Democrats
- Adam Bernard, Cambridge
- Chris Caswill, Wiltshire
- Ed Fordham, Camden
- Mike Falchikov, Edinburgh South Lib Dems Exec
- Councillor Henry Vann
- Dr Clive R Sneddon, St Andrews
- Sue Baring, Westminster
- Greg Judge, Coventry
- Gareth Jones, Maidenhead
- Nigel Quinton, Welwyn Hatfield LibDems
- Alisdair Calder McGregor, Nottingham
- George Potter, Secretary of Guildford Liberal Democrats
- Cllr Lyn Barton, Colchester
- Maureen de Beer, Harrow
- Linda Chung, Lib Dem councillor, Hampstead ward
- Tom Simon, Lib Dem councillor Belsize ward
- Govert Klaasen, Camden
- Angharad Bethan Jones
- Lee Dargue