Conservative MP Mark Reckless has criticised Theresa May’s legal strategy over the attempted deportation of Abu Qatada – but added that she has one more chance to succeed.
He said:
“The Home Secretary has pursued throughout the wrong legal strategy, she’s got one last chance and what she needs to do is to put the key constitutional questions to the Supreme Court – who has the last word, Strasbourg or the Supreme Court?
“If she does that, I think she can still win.”
The Court of Appeal turned down May’s attempt to take to the Supreme Court her fight to have Qatada deported and she will now appeal directly to the highest court in the country.
Reckless added:
“There is a real chance but she needs a proper point of law to argue…
“She needs to make this big constitutional argument because we can win that.”
Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood, tells Home Secretary Theresa May that the continuing failure of the Home Office to deport Abu Qatada is a ‘craven surrender to the European court’.
Mark Reckless offers his tribute to Baroness Thatcher during the Parliamentary debate on 10th April 2013.
Text from Hansard:
Mark Reckless (Rochester and Strood, Conservative)
It is a privilege to make the last Back-Bench speech in this debate. I had decided not to speak, but I thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to do so now.
I came to the debate before Prayers and found that there was nowhere to sit on the Benches, so I sat just to my right on the floor. Just above me to the right was my hon. Friend Conor Burns. He told me—I was not aware of this—that that was the seat on which Margaret Thatcher sat after she stopped being Prime Minister. I felt that it would be a privilege to sit through the seven and a half hours of debate and tributes, and that I would not seek to speak, but I wish to address one area.
The day before yesterday, the noble Lord Bell said that Margaret Thatcher believed in principles, which perhaps set her apart from virtually any politician of today. I am not sure that that is fair and I believe that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, and many who sit behind him, were inspired by Margaret Thatcher, and that much of the politics in which she believed has found its way into our Government. In different ways, I believe that we are taking forward her legacy.
When I was at school, perhaps my oldest friend was Daniel Hannan, who is now an MEP. Together we observed the progress of the Thatcher Government, and we took a greater and greater interest, particularly in Europe. At the time, I was beginning to take an interest in economics and seeking to understand the interface of politics and economics. At the time, Margaret Thatcher and the now noble Lord Lawson were involved in a disagreement about shadowing the Deutschmark, and on that issue I believe that Margaret Thatcher was simply right. Even at the time, it seemed to me that it was just too good; we had had a consumer-led recovery, but as a teenager in my naive way I thought it was getting out of control. Nevertheless, I heard that there could not be a problem because the pound was at the same level against the Deutschmark and we had cut interest rates to keep it below three Deutschmarks. There was a disagreement between the Chancellor and the Prime Minister that I think was resolved terribly unfortunately for our country, but it was the Prime Minister who was right.
Towards the end of Margaret Thatcher’s time in office, Europe became the central driving issue. There is too much of a trend to say that in the last days of her premiership she had somehow lost her touch or that the man-management was not there. The issue of Europe did not develop afterwards; it was there in the central disagreement on economic policy in her Government.
I do not believe that Margaret Thatcher’s personal split with Geoffrey Howe was about personality. On 25 June 1989, Geoffrey Howe with the noble Lord Lawson said to Margaret Thatcher that unless she set a timetable to join the exchange rate mechanism, they would resign. She believed that Geoffrey Howe was behind that, and a month later she removed him from his post as Foreign Secretary. Eighteen months later she made a statement when she came back from the Rome summit, which we recall for “No. No. No.”, and which led to Geoffrey Howe’s resignation and his later speech that set in train the events leading to Margaret Thatcher’s downfall. Listening to that debate again this morning, what struck me was how she answered Tony Benn when he said to her, “You now say this, but how do we know that this is any more than you seeking partisan short-term advantage by wrapping yourself in the flag? It was you who took us into the ERM without consulting the British people, you who signed the Single European Act, and you who sat in a Cabinet that took us into the Common Market without a referendum.”
Margaret Thatcher answered him and said that she would have used different words. In essence, however, she agreed with him. There was a mea culpa. On those issues, he had been right and she regretted the stance that she had taken. She said those things while she was Prime Minister, and I believe that it set in train the process that led to her fall. However, she also inspired a new generation of politicians. There is the question
whether we will ultimately be part of an ever-closer union in Europe or again be an independent country. Margaret Thatcher at least kept open that possibility by restoring our national strength, so that it could once again be resolved in favour of independence.
Further to the previous video providing a behind the scenes look at Mark Reckless’s work in Westminster, follow Mark through a typical day in his constituency to find out more about the vital work which MPs undertake to serve their constituents and our country.
A fascinating behind the scenes look at the daily work of Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood, Mark Reckless. Follow Mark through a typical day in Westminster to find out more about the vital work which MPs undertake to serve their constituents and our country.
Mark Reckless MP joins members of the Ravidassia community in Medway and beyond for celebration
Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood, was delighted to join hundreds of members of the growing Ravidassia community in Medway to celebrate the 636th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Ravidass Ji.
Based at the Sri Guru Ravidass Bhawan in Vicarage Road, the Strood Ravidassia community played host to thousands of worshippers from across the country and beyond, with some dignified guests travelling from as far as Europe and India to join in the special celebration.
Speaking after the event, Mark said:
“I was delighted to join thousands of worshippers and well-wishers coming to pay their respects at the Strood Bhawan. It was an honour to be invited to address the Ravidassia community who had travelled from near and far to join the celebrations here in Medway.
The beliefs of the Ravidassia religion are very much focused on overcoming social injustice and inequality based on caste, so I was encouraged by the recent vote in the House of Lords to make caste-based discrimination in the UK unlawful which I was able to highlight in my speech.
I would like to thank the Strood Bhawan’s executive committee for the excellent work which they are doing in Strood, and all of the worshippers who made me feel very welcome during my visit.”
Mark Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood, has hailed the announcement that Medway’s bid for a University Technical College (UTC) has been successful.
The UTC – billed as a new concept in secondary education – has been given the green light by the Department for Education. The Medway UTC was one of 13 new UTCs announced today, bringing the national UTC total, when fully operational, to 45 which will cater for up to 27,000 students.
The UTC in Chatham will specialise in engineering and construction, traditionally at the heart of Medway’s economy, and will be sponsored by the University of Greenwich, MidKent College, Medway Council and local employers.
Work to get the college up and running will start immediately.
Speaking of the news, Mark Reckless MP said:
“I am delighted that at the third time of trying we have succeeded in our application to have a University Technical College founded in Medway. Along with so many in the Council and partnership team I have lobbied ministers furiously to bring a UTC to Medway. We have succeeded.
We must now all work together to establish a first class vocational college to develop craft and technical skills for a new generation as the Dockyard did for previous generations.”
A number of local employers and businesses pledged their support to the college as part of the bid, including leaders in the construction and engineering industries BAE Systems, Delphi Diesel Systems, BAM Construct UK, Denne Construction and Gainwell Futures, along with the Royal School of Military Engineering.
Lord Kenneth Baker of The Baker Dearing Education Trust, which was founded by Lord Baker and Lord Dearing to promote University Technical Colleges and provide advice and guidance to proposer groups, said:
“Today’s announcement shows a continuing growth in the size and impact of the UTC movement. I am delighted that UTCs enjoy all-party support and that the Coalition has continued to back them. UTCs are employer-led and university supported – more than 400 companies and 45 universities are now supporting UTCs.”
Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, Cllr Les Wicks, said:
“Medway has a rich history of construction and engineering and a college specialising in these subjects will not only continue this tradition, but will also equip a new generation with first class technical skills that will help them pursue careers in these important sectors at all levels.
“This is great news for the young people of Medway who deserve this opportunity. My thanks go to everyone who has shown their support for the bid and backed it throughout. Now the plans can really start.”
Medway Council Director of Children’s Services Barbara Peacock said:
“This is great news for Medway students. The council and its partners have always been committed to the delivery of a university technical college for Medway.
“Medway’s economy will benefit greatly from having a UTC and now we are able to get on and make it a reality.
“A UTC will enable a degree of specialisation prior to age 16 that is currently unavailable and which will re-engage and enthuse students.”
Professor Alan Reed, Director of Regional Development at the University of Greenwich and Chair of Medway UTC Partnership, said:
“We are delighted that the government has agreed to fund a University Technical College in Medway.
“This college will provide a third option to secondary education, as well as a lasting legacy to Medway and the wider sub-region. I thank all those who put in so much time and effort into making this happen. The partnership now looks forward to turning its vision into a reality for the young people of Medway and surrounding areas.”
For further information regarding University Technical Colleges – Click Here
What was so impressive about Theresa May’s announcement yesterday was that it showed the Prime Minister and government following through. Instead of there just being a speech on immigration from the Prime Minister, it was immediately followed up by the Home Secretary telling Parliament she would end the failed UKBA, and then ask us to legislate quickly for a proper immigration system.
The government has a really good record on immigration, and we are already half way to meeting our target of cutting immigration from the hundreds to the tens of thousands, but we have not yet done a good enough job of getting that message across. I believe that yesterday showed a new and more ruthless focus in the Downing Street operation. With Lynton Crosby on the scene government action and communication may at last be joined up.
Will it continue? After yesterday’s two steps forward for the Home Office, it has been pushed back a step by today’s Qatada decision. The Court of Appeal ruling against the Home Secretary should not be a surprise. She chose to fight the case with one hand tied behind her back by deferring unnecessarily to Strasbourg. I attended the hearing on 11 March and wrote at the time that her QC seemed to throw in the towel after pursuing a pretty hopeless legal strategy. The conclusion of the Court of Appeal judgment sums up why that strategy was doomed to fail:
“In order to succeed in this appeal, the Secretary of State has to show that SIAC [the lower court] erred in law. It is not sufficient to persuade us that we would have reached a different conclusion on the facts and Mr Eadie rightly recognised the difficulty of such an exercise. The Secretary of State accepts that SIAC directed itself properly as to the general legal test to apply. Her case that SIAC nevertheless erred in law is based on a detailed examination of a careful and comprehensive judgment. As we have stated at paras 5 and 6 above, criticisms of this kind of a decision by a specialist tribunal are particularly difficult to sustain. For the reasons that we have given, we are satisfied that SIAC did not commit any legal errors. This appeal must therefore be dismissed.”
Along with Dominic Raab MP, I have argued throughout that the Home Secretary’s whole approach has been misconceived because, as the Court of Appeal puts it, “The Secretary of State accepts that SIAC directed itself properly as to the general legal test to apply. Her case [is] that SIAC nevertheless erred in law” or, as I have put it, the Home Secretary commenced the case with a craven surrender to Strasbourg.
The Home Secretary can still win this case if she clears out her legal team, changes that appraoch, and appeals to the Supreme Court on the basis that ultimately it is they, and not Strasbourg, who have the final word on interpreting the European Convention on Human Rights, given that it is now part of our domestic law through the Human Rights Act. Our High Court has already made clear in the Abu Hamza case, which the Home Secretary won, that Strasbourg’s Rule 39 does not bind our domestic courts. Our Supreme Court can similarly uphold our House of Lords decision on what constitutes a ‘flagrant denial of justice’ in preference to Strasbourg.
The Home Secretary just needs to ask the Supreme Court the right question, and she could yet get Qatada on a plane. If Lynton Crosby is still in town, and the Prime Minister really wants to follow through on the new approach we saw yesterday, then we should soon see in the Supreme Court grounds of appeal.
The Chancellor has set out a budget for Britain’s hard-workers.
Budget 2013 is a budget which supports people who work hard, save and aspire to a better life for themselves and their families.
That’s why Budget 2013 is a a budget for an aspiration nation – a budget that:
Backs families
From 2015 we’re offering tax-free childcare. We will pay 20 per cent of a working family’s childcare bills every year – up to £1,200 per child. A family with two children will be up to £2,400 a year better off.
Backs Britain’s hard-workers
This Budget raises the personal tax allowance to £10,000 from April 2014. This is a tax cut for 24 million people. As a result individuals will pay £700 less in income tax than they did in 2010. And 2.7 million will have been taken out of tax altogether.
Backs home-buyers
Conservatives want to help more people on and up the housing ladder – and in this Budget we put forward £3.5 billion to do just that, giving people equity loans of up to 20 per cent to help them buy newly built houses.
Backs small business
This Government has already helped create one and a quarter million private sector jobs – but with this Budget we go further. Next April we will cut the employer National Insurance bill of every business by up to £2000. That means they’ll be able to take on up to 4 people full time on minimum wage without any increase in their jobs tax.
Backs big business
Our businesses are competing in a global race for wealth, work and opportunity. Today we give them a big boost in that race: we are cutting corporation tax to 20 per cent by 2015. That is the lowest rate in the G20 – the group of the world’s 20 major economies.
Backs drivers
Fuel duty is being frozen once again – making this the longest freeze for over 20 years. Pump prices will be 13 pence lower than under Labour’s plans – leaving the average motorist with £170 more in their pocket over a year.
Backs savers
We will introduce a simple, flat rate pension that gives people £144 a week from 2016. Any one pound you save will be a pound you keep. On top of that, we will those who want to keep their homes instead of selling them to pay for the costs of care in their old age, with a new cap on social care costs from 2016. We promised to give people dignity in their old age; and we are keeping our word.
Responding to the budget, Mark Reckless said:
“The funding for lending scheme is working and two further measures in this budget should help really get the economy moving.
Help for home buyers. Anyone buying a new build home, not just first time buyers will be eligible for 20% of the cost from the government which will allow them to get widely available 75% mortgages, only paying the government share back on sale.
The government mortgage guarantee for all home buyers for the proportion of a mortgage between 80% and 95% will also be a big shot in the arm for them housing market
It is also fantastic that the government will provide a £2000 employment allowance to every business. For small businesses this £2000 reduction in employer national insurance contributions (NICs) will help cash flow and help investment. Sole trader businesses will be able to take on an employee for the first time without having to pay any such NICs. This should be really good news for business, employment and growth in the Medway Towns and beyond.”
RT @Joe_Armitage: @MarkReckless Regrettably, you're no longer my MP. Thanks for your conviction-led representation - you're an asset to R&S… 3 hours ago
