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Home Affairs and Justice

I agree with the right hon. Gentleman's last point. However, I ask him to stop using the phrase ““the longest detention period without charge in the free world”” because he does not compare like with like. It is possible in countries such as France and Spain—[Interruption.] There are different systems—that is my point—but people are detained for considerable periods. My anxiety about the current position is that, the police, when they are watching potential terrorists or people whom they believe might be terrorists, may act too early or too late because of concentration on the 28 days. That may put us at greater risk than necessary.