Liberal Democrats Policy Briefing 6

CIVIL LIBERTIES
The Labour Government treats us all like children, who need to be checked up on and monitored at
every turn. They’ve given up on ordinary people’s rights – like freedom of speech and privacy. This
Government’s introduced more than 3,600 new crimes. They stop people from speaking their mind.
You can even get fined for wearing an anti-government T-shirt. Laws designed to fight terrorists are
used against ordinary people for trivial reasons.

The Government has over a million innocent people’s DNA on file. Thousands of schools monitor
children’s fingerprints, and parents aren’t allowed to stop them. The Government’s planning an
Identity Card scheme more complex and intrusive than anything in the world. And worst of all they
keep losing all the information they hold instead of keeping it safe.

This way of doing things just isn’t right. Previous generations died to protect our freedom, and
politicians shouldn’t try to take it from us. That doesn’t just mean warm words about British tradition:
it means action. The Conservatives aren’t serious about freedom – they want to scrap the laws that
protect our human rights and personal privacy.

Liberal Democrats have the protection of civil liberties at the heart of our purpose and philosophy.
The body of rights and freedoms which make up our conception of civil liberties are, we believe,
fundamental to building the free, fair and open society to which our constitution commits the Party.
We want to see a society which gives individual men and women opportunities to pursue their aims,
develop their talents and fulfil their potential. We believe that one of the key roles of the state and
the community is to enhance the liberty of the individual and create opportunities for diversity of life
and expression.

A Written Constitution for Britain

Britain has no written constitution. We have no binding Bill of Rights that protects our people from
the actions of an irrational government. The Liberal Democrats will seek the public’s approval to
introduce a written constitution for Britain that defines and limits the power of government, with a
Bill of Rights at its heart to protect individual rights – including, for the first time, the right to a clean
environment. The Bill of Rights will strengthen and entrench the rights guaranteed in the Human
Rights Act, which we have consistently supported. The constitution should also set out the powers of
Parliament, Ministers, Judges, the Head of State and the national assemblies.

Freedom Bill
The Labour Government is addicted to legislating – causing curtailment of freedoms, confusion in
business and crisis in our public services. This hyperactive, headline-driven law making must stop.
One of the first acts of a Liberal Democrat government will be to table a Freedom Bill to scrap the
most intrusive and illiberal laws introduced by Labour. We will:
End the government’s expensive, unnecessary, and intrusive ID card scheme. By getting
rid of Labour’s expensive, illiberal and authoritarian ID card scheme, we will pay for more
police instead. Labour is already spending about £100,000 a day: Liberal Democrats will stop
this reckless spending immediately.
Stop government from permanently storing the DNA of innocent people without their
consent.
Restore the right of peaceful protest, in particular the right to protest in Parliament Square.
Give parents the power to stop their children being fingerprinted at school.
Renegotiate the unfair extradition treaty with the United States so British people are not
extradited without proper evidence.
This briefing contains Federal Liberal Democrat policies. The policies of the Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats
and the Northern Ireland local party apply on issues which are their responsibility within our Federal policy-making structure.
Published by Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB
 Liberal Democrats Policy Briefing 6

End the Surveillance Society

More and more personal information is being held on individuals by public bodies, businesses and
third sector organisations, and technology is making data-mining and data-sharing ever more
prevalent. We oppose the idea of a ‘surveillance state’; technology such as CCTV can be used to help
keep people safe but it should protect privacy as well. Liberal Democrats will:
End the permanent retention of innocent people’s DNA. DNA should be taken on arrest
but destroyed if a person is not charged, or if they are acquitted.
Introduce full regulation of CCTV.
Give everyone the right to see what data is held on you by government, and who has
looked at it, except where this would compromise criminal investigations or national security.
Require companies whose data has been compromised to notify customers and the
Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner should have the power to fine
companies with regular breaches of database security.
Introduce a new parliamentary Privacy Committee, to scrutinise bills for their impact on
privacy.
Refuse to allow data-sharing with other countries without guarantee that data will be
held in accordance with UK law.
Require explicit parental consent before biometrics – like fingerprints – can be taken
from children outside the immigration and criminal justice systems.

Freedom of Information
Britain’s government is still too secretive – it is too easy for bad decisions to be covered up and too
hard for people to find out the truth. We will expand citizens’ rights under the UK Freedom of
Information Act and ensure that all public bodies, including Parliament and its members, are subject
to freedom of information, as they are in Scotland. Privacy and personal information will be
safeguarded through a modernised Data Protection Act. We will give all citizens access to all data
held about them, and give them the right to see a complete log of access to that data by public
servants, except where this would compromise national security or criminal investigations.

Fighting Discrimination
Liberal Democrats believe that diversity is a source of strength. Society thrives when everyone is free
to live their lives as they see fit, without discrimination, and have the opportunity to make the best of
their talents. Liberal Democrats insist that all individuals are treated equally regardless of gender,
age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith or race. We will therefore take action to:
Close the pay gap between men and women, including introducing compulsory equal pay
audits.
Support community cohesion, addressing the legitimate concerns of minority communities
and strengthening the voices of moderation against those of extremism.
Outlaw the incitement of hatred against people on the basis of their sexuality, and take
stronger action on homophobic bullying.
Extend rights for young people, including equal protection under minimum wage
legislation.
Outlaw age discrimination, including in the provision of goods and services.
Give the Commission for Equality and Human Rights greater powers to reduce
discrimination.

This briefing contains Federal Liberal Democrat policies. The policies of the Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats
and the Northern Ireland local party apply on issues which are their responsibility within our Federal policy-making structure.
Published by Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB