Glorification clause 'dangerously vague' - Howarth

6.00.00pm GMT Thu 16th Mar 2006

David Howarth, MP for Cambridge, has today criticised the Government for attempting to introduce dangerously vague legislation.

Mr. Howarth's comments come as the Terrorism Bill is again voted on in the House of Commons today. The Bill has become subject to Parliamentary 'ping-pong' between the House of Commons and the Lords over the controversial offence of "glorification" of terrorism.

Mr. Howarth commented:

"The term glorification is too vague to be used in legislation. Laws should be made to be enforced not to send vague messages to the public. It is dangerous to approach law-making in this way.

"The new offence of 'indirectly inciting terrorism' is broad enough to cover the kind of behaviour that ought to be made illegal without adding this word that is used nowhere else in the statute-book and those exact meaning has never been discussed by the courts."