Control orders may be scrapped following Lords ruling
By politics.co.uk staff
Security minister Lord West has told peers terror suspects could come off control orders because of a new ruling by the law lords.
Last week, the law lords said terror suspects must be given some idea of the evidence held against them in order to defend themselves. Their ruling was based on a precedent from the European Court of Human Rights.
The three control orders were not removed but were sent back to the high court. As secret evidence cannot be used, the government will either have to make public the evidence against the suspects or choose to drop the orders themselves
Lord West said not all control orders were affected by the judgement but the Home Office would have to find other means to monitor some of the suspects if secret evidence was no longer able to be used.
“We will go and look at each one individually it’s quite clear that not all the orders will be adversely affected by this judgement,” he said.
“As regards the other ones, if they don’t pass the test, clearly we will follow what the direction is here and those control orders will have to go.
“And what we will have to do is put in place something to ensure the safety of this island because that’s our greatest priority and that will be difficult.”
Lord West made his comments in the Home Office’s first statement to parliament on the ruling.
