Commenting on the publication of the Investigatory Powers Bill Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Home Affairs said:

“The Bill still has no section on privacy, no meaningful independent judicial oversight, and no clarity on whether British businesses, just like Apple in the US, would be forced to break the encryption they use to protect their customers.

“Despite all the concerns raised, the Home Office is still showing us that they just don’t understand or care about our privacy. Changing the name of one section of the Bill comes nowhere close to demands to ensure that privacy protections are the ‘backbone’ of the legislation. It is an insult to Parliament and the people of this country.

“This is why the Home Secretary is pushing this Bill through without the time for full and proper scrutiny – because she knows that given the chance, Parliament would tear it apart.”

Lord Strasburger, Liberal Democrat member of the Joint Select Committee scrutinising the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill said:

“Nothing has changed since I made my comments on the draft bill three weeks ago.

“The Home Office just doesn’t do privacy. It does security and ever more intrusive powers they claim will make us safer, but not privacy.

“The fact that they see simply changing the name of one section to include the word ‘privacy’ as addressing the fundamental concerns about privacy protections in this bill is breath-taking.

“The speed with which the Home Secretary is trying to force this Bill through parliament shows no respect to the Joint Committee and ISC who worked so hard to give them workable solutions to problems in the Draft Bill, to parliament, or to the British people.”