Fiasco Royale: Labour’s ineptitude

18 November 2006

Fraser Nelson reveals the mounting fury within the intelligence community at ministers’ failure to set in place a serious framework for smashing Islamic terrorism. Too little too late is the angry verdict of the spooks

So five years after the 9/11 attacks and 16 months on from the London bombings, there is still no clear strategy. Mr Reid is holding his meetings in an attempt to piece one together at last. Several proposals are under consideration: a Security Council to tackle terrorism; even the old Tory idea of a homeland security minister. But — intriguingly — there is one policy which neither MI5 nor MI6 is pressing for: the power to detain suspects for 90 days without charge.

The police continue to campaign for such powers, and want Mr Blair to introduce the proposal afresh (it was defeated in the Commons last November). But even now MI5 is making no such recommendation, and I am told Dame Eliza resents Mr Blair’s occasional suggestions to the contrary. There is talk of former senior intelligence officials going public about their concerns, declaring that 90-day detentions would fuel terrorism, as Muslim fundamentalists would be better able to argue that the British state is now openly their enemy.

Critics of Mr Blair’s terrorism strategy (or the lack of it) believe the 90-day detention proposal is exactly the sort of stunt — or ‘eye-catching initiative’ — which has delayed a proper intelligence strategy for so long. It provides political drama, but does nothing to address the structural problems within the existing system.

Dame Eliza would like new laws allowing terror suspects to be questioned after they have been charged. At present, all the questioning must be made before charges are pressed, which is why detectives want to prolong questioning as long as possible. It would require a simple change in the law, and Mr Reid has agreed to it.