Press release
Wednesday 26 January 2011
For immediate use

This review has been a political fudge - Cooper

Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on the Counter Terrorism Review, said:“This review has been a political fudge dogged by leaks, confusion and horse-trading. Despite their promises to abolish control orders, they are being renamed instead, and I am concerned that security and resource gaps have appeared in the plans.“Although this review includes sensible measures that we will support, we need further reassurances on security and resources. I remain worried that there isn’t sufficient funding for the extra surveillance that is needed, especially given the warning from John Yates about £150 million cuts to counter terrorism and the billions cut from the police budget.“We also have not been given an answer on what happens to people under the new measures who have already been under control orders for two years or more and who the police and courts have said are still a serious threat. The Government won’t say.“We take the view you should continually review the risks and the measures in counter terrorism policy. The challenge for democratic governments in the face of terrorist threats must be to protect both our national security and our historic freedoms too.“But this review put political expediency before the evidence. It was muddled in formulation and chaotic in announcement. We must now make sure it is neither of these when it is put into practice.”
Ends
Editor's notes:
1. John Yates, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, warned that cuts of £150 million to the Counter Terrorism Budget may be forced on the Police. “The ‘eye-watering’ cuts would force Scotland Yard to axe £87 million from its counter-terrorism budget, Mr Yates told a closed session at the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) annual conference in Manchester. He warned that other units across the country would have to find £62 million of savings, delegates who heard the speech said last night. Daily Telegraph, 2 July 2010 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/7867155/Funding-cuts-will-leave-Britain-vulnerable-to-terrorist-atttack-anti-terrorist-chief-warns.html2. Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab): Every new Government are entitled to review legislation in the way that the Home Secreta ry has suggested, and the Select Committee looks forward to seeing her on Thursday morning when we shall have the opportunity to explore these issues with her. I am grateful to her for agreeing to see us at such short notice.May I press the Home Secretary on resources? The threat is still severe. Mr Yates has made it very clear that as far as he is concerned there will be cuts of £150 million to the counter-terrorism budget, and I understand that Home Office officials saw his speech before he delivered it to the closed session of the Association of Chief Police Officers last Thursday. Can the right hon. Lady confirm that it is the Government's intention to ensure that the counter-terrorism unit, and units all over the country, have the resources they need to fight terrorism and that there will be no cut to that budget? Hansard, 13 July 2010, http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100713/debtext/100713-0001.htm3. Lord Carlile’s latest report on Contro l Orders, which includes the assessments of current Control Orders, can be found here: http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/9781849871518/9781849871518.pdf