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Terrorism Bill

The right hon. Lady reinforces my point. I should make it clear that I do not blame the police for that. They often face scarce resources and many pressures on their time. If they are counter-terrorist police, they will be trying to deal with other issues, perhaps an immediate risk to the public. All those reasons may lead to an extension beyond what is necessary. The question before the House is this: have Ministers made a robust, convincing and evidence-based case for 90 days ? Indeed, have they even made a case of which they themselves are convinced? The Attorney-General’s spokesman has said publicly that he, the Attorney-General, is not convinced of the case. He is one of the Government’s most senior Law Officers, but however senior he may be, he is not the Minister in charge of this legislation—that responsibility falls to the Home Secretary.