Peer urges Nick Clegg not to scrap terror control orders

The peer reviewing Britain's anti-terror laws today warned Nick Clegg against scrapping control orders.

Lord Carlile, a Liberal Democrat, stressed that removing all restrictions would "endanger the public". He said the deputy prime minister should not "play politics with national security".

He believes the orders, which impose restrictions on terror suspects' movement, could be retained for those considered the most dangerous, while other measures could be brought in to monitor those deemed a lower risk.

His intervention comes after Mr Clegg clashed with Home Secretary Theresa May over control orders. She has signalled she may back retaining the regime to deal with suspects who the authorities are unable to bring to trial or deport, partly because of the difficulties of using secret intelligence in court.

Lord Carlile argued it would be "negligent of the Government not to recognise in an appropriate and proportionate way why some of those people are subject to control orders".

"Simply removing all restrictions would endanger the public," he added in an interview with The Financial Times. He said he understood Mr Clegg was in a "difficult position" given his party's past opposition to control orders.