Home Office fears Clegg will veto 'snooper's charter'
Home Office ministers fear that the Liberal Democrats may veto the latest version of the so-called "snooper's charter" and are privately warning that Nick Clegg will be taking a major risk at a time of terrorist attacks in the US, and instability in the middle east.
Theresa May, the home secretary, has redrawn her proposed snooper's charter legislation – the communications data bill - to monitor internet and social media use and is battling to get it included in the Queen's speech on 6 May.
Home Office sources were pointing to the ever varied way in which criminals are using the internet to plot crimes and attacks. Liberal Democrat sources say Clegg, whose previous intervention sent May's original draft bill back to the drawing board, is currently examining the new proposals to see if he can back them as a "proportionate and necessary" response to the problem. The Lib Dem leader will be hoping that he can dampen any controversy until at least after the county council elections next week.
Liberal Democrat activists, angry at the leadership's decision to give the go-ahead to secret courts, are already warning that they will not tolerate another assault on their party's reputation for protecting civil liberties. Richard Morris, an influential activist, wrote on his blog this week: "If the Westminster party thought the grassroots gave them a hard time on civil liberties before, just try and propose some legislation that does anything but roll back the state's powers in this area. You haven't seen anything yet."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/23/clegg-veto-snoopers-charter
