Abu Qatada

David Morris Excerpts

Monday 12th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mrs May]

The whole point is that Jordan has made torture illegal. It has been illegal since 2006, and the country specifically changed its constitution last year to make it clear not only that torture was forbidden, but that

“any statement extracted from a person under duress…or the threat thereof shall neither be taken into consideration or relied on.”

That is from article 8.2 of the Jordanian constitution. Part of the issue in Justice Mitting’s judgment today is that that constitutional change took place last year; there is no case law that shows the operation of that constitutional change.

[David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Con)]

I have been looking at Twitter as we have been speaking, and it is obviously a highly contentious issue, as all Members agree. We want to see the back of this man, but it seems impossible to get rid of him. Without wanting to pre-empt the tabloid press tomorrow, are there any contingencies in place to try Qatada here? Is that possible in any way, shape or form, or could it be done in Europe, leaving Europe to pick up the bill for it, as this is costing a fortune? This is a question not from a legal person, but from a lay person who is also a Member of Parliament.

[Mrs May]

My hon. Friend is coming up with innovative ideas to resolve this problem. All I would say to him is that we are making sure that we explore any and every avenue open to us to ensure that we can deport Abu Qatada.