Friday, July 11, 2014

'This isn’t snooping on suspects but on everyone': Fury at David Cameron's snoop laws ''stitch-up''


MP Tom Watson and civil liberties campaigners hit back after the PM announced emergency laws to allow the authorities access to phone and internet records

Campaigners reacted with fury today after David Cameron announced emergency laws to ensure security services can continue to access phone and internet records.

At a joint news conference with Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg he said urgent action was needed to protect the public from “criminals and terrorists” after the European Court of Justice torpedoed existing powers.

Labour’s Ed Miliband is backing the new laws which will go through in just two days next week.

But Labour MP Tom Watson hit out at the “stitch-up” between the three party leaders.

And civil liberties campaigner Shami Chakrabarti said: “This isn’t snooping on suspects but on everyone.”

The boss of Liberty also condemned the “deal struck in private”, saying: “No privacy for us and no scrutiny for them.”

The Law Society talked of a march towards a “surveillance society”.

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