On Tuesday (15 July), MPs in the House of Commons voted in favour of emergency legislation to allow police and security services to continue accessing internet and mobile phone data following angry exchanges between ministers.
A group of 56 MPs confronted the three main parties, which had agreed to rush the new legislation into law in a record three days, claiming the move was an abuse of parliament. Meanwhile, surrounding the debate, civil liberties campaigners have criticised the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers (DRIP) Bill as intrusive, saying it could infringe privacy rights.
However, the Bill, which will allow mobile networks and internet providers to keep information on communications between people in case they are needed for investigations, was ultimately passed by a large majority. However, it must still be approved in the House of Lords, and has a sunset clause allowing it to be reviewed at six-monthly intervals.
Prime Minister David Cameron had argued that the emergency laws were necessary to protect national security, after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) threw out a law that forced companies to retain data for at least six months, saying that it breached the right to privacy.
Home Secretary Theresa May contributed to the Commons debate by saying that, without these capabilities there is a risk that murderers will not get caught, terrorist plots will go undetected, drug traffickers will go unchallenged, child abusers will not be stopped and slave drivers will continue to trade in human beings.
The legislative process was speeded up to rush DRIP through the Commons in a single day, a move criticised by one opposition labour MP as “democratic banditry resonant of a rogue state.”
However, the Government insists that the bill does not increase existing surveillance powers but merely ensures that communications companies do not begin deleting data that might be needed in investigations.
Peers are expected to complete all stages of the Bill’s consideration later today, having spent yesterday debating its general principles.