Ed Ball To CoaltionCameron 'playing politics' on control orders

Ed Ball MP was right to hit thte Coaltion where it matters the most in regards to control Orders

Control orders were introduced under the former Labour government in 2005

Labour has accused the government of "playing politics" with national security over control orders.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the controversial anti-terror measures "haven't been a success".

But Labour claims plans to modify them are motivated by a desire to please the Lib Dems, who promised to do so in their election manifesto.

Labour's Ed Balls said Mr Cameron and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg should put national security first.

The shadow home secretary insisted he would wait until the outcome of a review into control orders, a form of house arrest introduced by the previous Labour government in 2005, before passing judgement on whether they should be scrapped.

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For David Cameron and Nick Clegg there are two political imperatives over control orders.

First, that the compromise they reach must not damage, or risk being presented as, damaging national security.

Second, both men need an agreement they can sell to their own backbenchers because all the signs are the new regime will require legislation and a Commons vote.

For Mr Clegg, in particular, it is crucial there is no repeat of the tuition fees revolt.

Hence its likely the Lib Dem leader will be given plenty of space to claim a political success - even if core elements of the control order regime remain.

But he accused Mr Clegg of keeping up a "running commentary" in the press, amid stories claiming the orders were going to be axed.

He told BBC Radio 4's The World at One: "The experts I have spoken to in the security services and the police are very unconvinced that it is possible to keep our country safe without some kind of successor regime in place. That is not consistent with the Lib Dem manifesto. That is Nick Clegg's political problem.

"And this desperate attempt to play politics with this issue is, in my view, very mistaken."

Mr Clegg is under pressure to prove that he is delivering on Lib Dem manifesto commitments as his party's opinion poll rating hits a new low - but Mr Cameron has insisted control orders are not a party political issue and he would act in the public interest.

On a visit to Leicester on Wednesday, Mr Cameron told the BBC: "I think we need a system that keeps the country safe but that respects our freedoms. Nick Clegg and I are working very hard to bring this about."

He added: "The control order system is imperfect. Everybody knows that. There have been people who've absconded from control orders. It hasn't been a success. We need a proper replacement and I'm confident we'll agree one."

Mr Cameron also said: "It's not about a victory for the Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats. It's about trying to do the right thing for our country, for the security of our country and our civil liberties."

Delayed

Opponents of control orders say they infringe civil liberties, but supporters, including backbench Tory MPs, argue they are necessary to protect the public.

The BBC understands that discussions have now reached detailed negotiation about the powers that should be put in place instead of control orders. They include curfews, relocation requirements, electronic tagging, travel bans, restrictions on the use of telephones and computers and on who the suspect can meet and where they can go.

The Lib Dem manifesto promised to scrap control orders which lead to house arrest.

A review of control orders was announced in July and is being overseen by former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald.

The results had been due to be published before Christmas, but this was delayed amid reports of policy disagreements between the coalition government partners.

BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said there were currently only eight control orders in force and a few of those were believed to involve "very light touch" measures.

The previous Labour government argued it had to control some suspects who could not be prosecuted because secret intelligence was not allowed in British trials.

Ed Miliband Has Found His Way

Who would have thought that Labour leader Ed Miliband has accused the Coalition of spreading the "myth" that Britain's debts were caused by the last Government spending too much rather than a global financial crisis. So for the non voting and Labour bashing people that has nothing better to do watch out Ed Miliband has finally found his strength to lead a party to victory

Ed Miliband said the Labour Party would not oppose every spending cut

In an article in The Times, Mr Miliband said Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne were leading the country in the wrong direction.

He said their "politically motivated desire to propagate a myth about the last Labour government" was being used to justify cutting too deep and too fast.

Mr Miliband said the pair were "airbrushing" history and ignoring the fact Britain's debt at the start of the crisis was the second-lowest in the G7 and lower than it had been under the Conservatives.

He warned a "great deceit designed to damage Labour has led to profoundly misguided and dangerous economic decisions that I fear will cause deep damage to Britain's future".

Chancellor George Osborne said the UK economy is out of the danger zone

"What is this deceit? It is that the deficit was caused by chronic overspending rather than a global financial crisis that resulted in recession and a calamitous collapse in tax revenues," he added.

The Labour leader said his party would not oppose every cut and believed borrowing was too high, but that the conditions were not there for the kind of "rapid rebalancing" Mr Osborne has gambled on.

Mr Miliband's approach is in marked contrast to the view of the coalition Government - Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne have said the UK economy was in the "danger zone" due to economic mismanagement by Labour.

Cutting the budget deficit by 2015 and scaling back public sector spending will reinvigorate the private sector, reduce interest payments and restore confidence in the economy, they argue.