Watson - 42 day detention propaganda coup for terrorists

12.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 11th Jun 2008

As MPs prepare to vote on the Labour Government's highly controversial plans to extend detention without charge for terrorist suspects to 42 days, local Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, Graham Watson criticised the plans.

Commenting today Graham Watson said,

"The Government's plans to demolish our liberties will be a propaganda coup for our terrorist enemies and dodgy regimes around the world. Already Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe is citing UK internment plans as a useful precedent. The Government admit there is no need for this power now, and these misguided proposals appear to be more about making Gordon Brown look strong than making us all safe."

Graham went on to say;

"We should rightly be proud of our traditional British freedoms yet this severely undermines our moral authority as the home of habeas corpus and the Magna Carta. These plans will deeply dismay our European and international friends. Six weeks' detention without charge will be the longest period in the democratic world. In comparison the period in France is 6 days, Germany 2 days, Spain 5 days, Russia 5 days, Canada 1 day, Turkey 7.5, and even the US only 2 days, so these plans are hopelessly out of line."