Yesterday I made a speech on the Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Bill which will see the most dangerous terrorist offenders spend longer in prison. This is a crucial piece of legislation which will punish those who would try to spill blood on our streets out of their hatred of this country and its people. And it will also provide a strong deterrent others who might be thinking about doing the same.
After I raised the case of terrorist Shamima Begum last week on the news, I again raised it in Parliament yesterday to underline just how angry many people are in the country at the Court of Appeal’s recent decision to allow her to return to the UK. The out of touch decisions which continue to come out of our courts must be addressed as we continue to build on the work of this Bill and look to put the public interest first. And I was glad to secure reassurances from Government during the debate that they will be appealing the Begum decision with everything they have.
I also used the speech to argue against amendments Labour were seeking to make that would limit the impact of this Bill on young adult terrorist offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 because of their immaturity. At 18 for all intents and purposes you are an adult with the same rights and responsibilities as every other adult. And you’re certainly old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and that actions which could result in the deaths of many people are inexcusable. I’ve frequently heard Labour politicians make the case that 16 year olds are mature enough to vote and it seems they change their view on where adulthood starts depending on what suits them.
I’ll continue to do everything I can as Ipswich’s MP to make sure we are as robust as possible in the fight against terrorism.
