Second Government climb-down in two days on terror Bill

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 14th Oct 2008

Commenting on the Government's announcement that it will drop proposals in the Counter Terrorism Bill which would have allowed ministers to hand-pick coroners and hold inquests in secret, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

"This second climb-down in two days is long overdue. I am delighted that ministers have recognised that they were on a hiding to nothing with these extraordinary clauses, and have now ditched them.

"Reform of the coroners' courts is overdue but it should be done properly in a Coroners Bill and not as an add-on to the catch-all Counter Terrorism bill.

"The powers that the Government wanted would have allowed ministers to remove a case from an independent coroner and put it in hands of a 'special coroner', remove juries from establishing matters of fact in coroners' courts and hold inquests in secret.

"It would have been far too convenient for the Government to be able to hide a proper and independent inquiry into cases like the death of Jean Charles de Menezes or Dr David Kelly.

"Coroners have been fundamental to our freedoms for hundreds of years precisely because of the importance of independent investigation of any death in custody as a bulwark against excessive and arbitrary state power."