Matthew Taylor

Sunday shows round-up: Steve Baker says liberty ‘dies like this’ over Coronavirus Act

Steve Baker – Liberty ‘dies like this’ with ‘draconian powers’ unchecked

The government has come under fire from its own side this morning as it prepares to renew the Coronavirus Act six months after it was first put into effect. Graham Brady, the chair of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, is spearheading an amendment to the act which would ensure that Parliament could vote on the emergency measures that ministers wish to take. Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, gave his reasons for supporting this amendment:

SB: I doubt really anyone understands what [the] law is… We’re in an environment where you really can’t know whether you’re a criminal or not with this much law… Liberty…dies like this, with government exercising draconian powers without parliamentary scrutiny in advance.

‘Plenty of MPs’ will back our amendment

Baker continued by saying that he was confident that the amendment had enough support on the Conservative benches to pass, if the other opposition parties joined forces with them:

SB: There are plenty of MPs who would vote for this amendment if it is selected… It’s really down to Labour, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats if it comes to it… Let’s have policy which enjoys our consent.

I’d be ‘delighted’ to see Dacre at Ofcom and Moore at the BBC

Ridge asked Baker about the rumours that the longstanding former editor of the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre, was being strongly considered as the new chairman of Ofcom, the arms length overseer and regulator for television and other media industries.

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