Green Party members could be asked to vote on whether to rewrite Britain’s terrorism laws. A motion tabled ahead of the party's autumn conference calls for a “full review of current legislation on terrorism”.
Labour MP criticises motion
Labour MP David Taylor said: “This is astonishingly bad judgement. At a time when the terrorist threat remains severe, the last thing Britain needs is politicians questioning the foundations of our counter-terrorism laws.
“The disgusting attacks on the LGBT+ community in Berlin by Islamist extremists show that some people violently hate our way of life. These extremists do not represent Islam, and many British Muslims are themselves victims of hatred, intimidation and terrorism.”
Motion details
The motion, A74: Terrorism Policy Review, is proposed by Huw Sparkes of the Green Party. It outlines that the party would put Britain’s terrorism laws, the Prevent strategy and the basic purpose of counter-terror legislation under review if it were to form a Government. Prevent is the early-intervention element of Britain’s counter-terrorism system.
The motion sets out plans to “explore the language and fundamental necessity of legislation on terror from first principles”. It has been suggested that this goes further than updating outdated policy language by raising the prospect of the Green Party reconsidering the basis of terrorism law itself.
Mr Taylor added: “Our security services deserve our full support. Our first duty is to back the police and security services and keep the public safe, not reopen settled principles that protect our country.”
Threat level context
Authorities lifted the UK's terror threat from "substantial" to "severe" in April for the first time in more than four years, following the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London. The stabbings, declared as terror by the Metropolitan Police, were the latest in a string of incidents targeting the UK Jewish community. The "severe" threat level means that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely in the next six months.
Party response
Green Party members submit motions to be debated at their autumn conference, but not all will be discussed. A Green Party spokesman said: "All Green Party members can submit motions to our conference. The ballot is not yet open to determine which are selected from the hundreds that have been put forward in the early stages. The vast majority will not be discussed."
