Why every MP must unite to show evil terrorists they will never win
TERROR returned to our streets last Sunday.
I was at home with my family about to watch the France versus England rugby match on the television when the terrible news from Streatham, South London, emerged.
The shocking footage showed the heinous act of a terrorist who callously attacked innocent people going about their Sunday afternoon.
But it also showed the bravery and swift action of our brilliant police officers.
Our fantastic officers ran towards — not away from — the danger. And they did that despite the attacker wearing what looked to be a suicide vest, later found to be a fake.
The terrorist was stopped in his tracks with a bullet before he could inflict more serious harm, and rightly so.
What he leaves, though, are victims recovering from this outrageous act. All our thoughts are with them.
Minutes after the attack, I drove to London to a meeting with the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street to help tackle the situation.
As Lord Chancellor and a member of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet, I know protecting the public is the first duty of every government.
The laws made in Parliament must help us do that.
When the law fails, we have a responsibility to act. And that’s exactly what we will do now.
Last Sunday’s attacker was behind bars for a number of terrorist offences, but the law said he could be released automatically after just half of his three-year, four-month sentence.
Quite simply, the law failed by letting him out of prison when he did.
This just isn’t right.
It’s not right that a terrorist known to be a risk to the public can be let out automatically after half his sentence, without a proper check of whether he remains a danger to us.
That’s why this Conservative government is going to change that, to keep us all as safe as possible.
Following November's London Bridge attack, we moved quickly to strengthen our response to terrorists — including longer prison sentences and more money for our policemen and women.
Keeping terrorists behind bars longer will not only help to keep the public safe, but will allow prison and probation staff more time to work with them to try to turn them away from their twisted, anti-British ideology. When terrorists serve their sentence, we need to keep an even closer eye on them.
Lie detector tests are one way we will do this.
And we’re going to double the number of anti-terror officers in our probation service, so even more officers can keep an even closer eye on terrorists when they’re released.
BEHIND BARS
On Tuesday, I’m going to tell Parliament two things.
First, that we should increase the length of time terrorists serve behind bars from half to two-thirds of their sentence.
If they are then released at this point, we’ll keep close tabs on them.
If they break the strict rules we set even once, they’re back behind bars.
No ifs, not buts.
Second, if they get out even one day before the end of their full sentence, it has to be with the say-so of the Parole Board who have specialist terror experts trained to decide if it would be safe to let these people out.
Only when this expert board is content will anyone convicted of a terror offence set foot outside prison before their sentence has ended and — as I say — it will be under the watchful eye of the authorities.
This new law will apply to anyone either in prison now, or who is convicted in future.
This is a tough response. But these are tough times. And tough action is needed.
This Conservative government will never shy away from making these choices. And we want parties from right across Parliament to support us to show that they, too, will never let the terrorists win.
The vote can’t be close, it has to be a resounding message to the terrorists.
Because I’m absolutely clear every MP from every party must tell any terrorist who would destroy our British way of life that they’re going — and staying — where they belong: Behind bars for as long as possible.
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