Member

The Minister has to tell us today whether he thinks it reasonable to carry on keeping these people in prison in breach, I would contend, of Article 3 of the European convention. I am afraid to say that the Government do not have the backbone to take on that relatively slim risk of appalling headlines in the press. It would be a terrible situation, and we would all feel dreadfully for any victim, or the family or friends of a victim. That is why all these safeguards would be built in. For the Minister to tell us on behalf of the Government that they would rather people continue to be tortured by unjust incarceration than take on the responsibility of a Government to manage a reasonable risk and account for their actions and behaviour to the public, then I am sorry but they should not be in government.