Speeches

11 March 2005

Howard: Defeating the terrorism threat 

Statement at Conservative Campaign Headquarters

"This has been a good day for Britain and a bad day for Mr Blair. The Prime Minister has been forced to announce a sunset clause in all but name - he just couldn't quite bring himself to admit it.

Mr Blair has only himself to blame for the mess he finds himself in this afternoon. Throughout this sorry saga he has consistently refused to listen to Parliament and to common sense - arrogantly asserting that he is the only person willing to fight terrorism. 

Last month he said that it did "not matter how much time for scrutiny there is" the Bill would remain unchanged. Then he conceded that control orders on house arrest should be made by a judge. This week he said that they would not extend that to the other control orders. Then he gave in again. And this afternoon in the words of one of his own senior MPs he has agreed to "a sunset clause in everything but name".

Everyone agrees that terrorism is a real threat to our country. The point of difference has always been how best we tackle it. 

These are difficult issues. That is why Parliament needed proper time to consider them - time Mr Blair refused to give it. If only he had been less arrogant, these sensible changes could have been agreed to in a quicker and more dignified manner.

But there is more to be done. Britain's lack of border controls poses a grave danger to our national security. There are over a quarter of a million failed asylum seekers living in our country today. No-one knows who they are, or where they are. There are no checks on people coming into or leaving our country.

That is why a Conservative Government will make tackling illegal immigration a priority - putting 24-hour security on our ports and restoring embarkation controls on those entering and leaving the UK.

It is only through a combination of tough anti terror laws and strict border controls that we will defeat the terrorist threat."

Rt Hon
Michael Howard QC MP