The Civil Contingencies Bill

Under the powers conferred by this new act, once a state of emergency (which may be either national or local and can be either general or specific to some particular situation) has been declared by any one of a number of authorised ministers, all normal legal rights can be suspended, without any prospect of subsequent compensation or redress.

Even more significantly, the emergency does not even have to exist. Under the act, it would be sufficient for the minister merely to fear that it was about to exist.

The list of powers proposed to be delegated to ‘those appointed to positions of authority’ is, quite deliberately, drafted in such general terms that these would be almost unlimited.

Moreover, ‘states of emergency’ relate not merely to war, threats of terrorism or natural disasters, but also to anything which might dispute the ‘supply of money’ or endanger Britain’s financial welfare.

If this bill is passed in its present state, it would certainly be possible for the Government, upon a whim, to declare any strike unlawful, to ban any march or public meeting, to censor public communications (though, surprisingly, the BBC seems to enjoy special exemption from this clause) to prohibit travel between specific places or at specified times and to requisition or confiscate or destroy private property - with or without compensation.

It may also order the evacuation or relocation (to a place of its own choosing) of individuals or groups of people and to prohibit any assemblies of people, no matter how small.

Even the basic Acts of Parliament that are the foundation of our democracy, such as Habeus Corpus and the Parliament Act can be repealed, on the say-so of one Minister.