Police Surveillance of Journalists

Gavin Newlands Excerpts

Wednesday 17th July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Mr Newlands, I thought you were seeking to take part in the debate.

[Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)]

I would be delighted to take part, Mr Speaker.

[Mr Speaker]

You are on my list as someone who was interested in doing so, but perhaps you were resting your knee muscles.

[Gavin Newlands]

I certainly was, Mr Speaker, but I was going to bob up again in a second. I am grateful for your observation.

I was also on the Investigatory Powers Bill Committee. During the progress of that Bill, the then Solicitor General, the hon. and learned Member for South Swindon (Robert Buckland), said:

“We are absolutely committed to the preservation and protection of a free press and freedom of expression in our democratic society. That includes the ability of sources to provide anonymous information to journalists, which is absolutely vital if we are to have throughput of important information that needs to be in the public domain.”––[Official Report, Investigatory Powers Public Bill Committee, 12 April 2016; c. 193.]

Given the events of recent days, can the Minister tell me what has changed in Government policy?

[Mr Hurd]

I hope the hon. Gentleman’s knees are all right.

I honestly do not think that there has been a change in policy, and I have set out the processes around the Investigatory Powers Act, which he and other colleagues helped to shape and toughen. He will know better than me that those processes are now robust, and the police are complying with them.