Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill

Hard on heels of the revised Counter-Terrorism strategy (CONTEST) - post of 5th June - comes the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill 2017-19.  First reading in the House of Commons was on 6th June.  It is a Bill to make provision in relation to terrorism; to make provision enabling persons at ports and borders to be questioned for national security and other related purposes; and for connected purposes.

Text of the Bill as introduced.    Policy Background -  Legal Background - Fact sheets


Overview of the Bill:

1)  The Queen’s speech on 21 June 2017 included a commitment to review the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy "to ensure that the police and security services have all the powers they need, and that the length of custodial sentences for terrorism-related offences are sufficient to keep the population safe". Part 1 of the Bill gives effect to legislative proposals arising from the review. The measures in Part 1 will: 

● Amend certain terrorism offences to update them for the digital age and to reflect contemporary patterns of radicalisation and to close gaps in their scope;

● Strengthen the sentencing framework for terrorism-related offences and the powers for managing terrorist offenders following their release from custody, including by increasing the maximum penalty for certain offences, to ensure that the punishment properly reflects the crime and to better prevent re-offending;

● Strengthen the powers of the police to prevent terrorism and investigate terrorist offences.

2)  In addition, in response to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury on 4 March 2018 using a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia, Part 2 of the Bill provides for a new power to harden the United Kingdom’s defences at the border against all forms of hostile state activity.
 

Previous posts:

Manchester Arena -- Post 27th May 2017

Responding to terrorist attacks - Post 5th June 2017

Links:

Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation and the Reviewer's article about the Bill.