Investigatory Powers Bill moves to the House of Lords

The legislative process on the Investigatory Powers Bill came to an end in the House of Commons on 7 June and the Bill moved to the House of Lords, where the first reading took place yesterday. The second reading – and the general debate on all aspects of the Bill - takes place on 27 June.

Anne McLaughlin, MP for the Scottish National Party said:
“I understand that the Government are arguing that new clause 5 is a privacy clause, but how can we trust their commitment to privacy when between the publication of the draft Bill and the publication of this Bill the significant change to deal with the need for privacy to be of primary importance entailed simply changing the name of part 1 from “General Protections” to “General Privacy Protections”? This is not about words, but about intent, action and commitment, and inserting one word appeases no-one.”

The Scottish National Party, the Green Party, and the Liberal Democrats opposed the Bill’s third reading with 69 votes.

The Bill’s bulk collection powers will now be subject to an independent review by the government’s reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, David Anderson Q.C. Results are expected in the summer.

See the Bill, as introduced in the House of Lords on 8 June.

The review’s terms of reference are here.