Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Ed Davey has urged the Home Secretary to prioritise security in Brexit negotiations and exercise caution whilst sharing data.

Ed Davey said:

“The safety of the UK public is absolutely paramount, so Sajid Javid is right to focus on security. However, we need far more details as his plans are too vague.

“Sharing data across Government may have a role to play in tackling threats, but there must be real caution in sharing sensitive data. It could, for example, be disastrous to falsely tarnish an innocent person with the label of ‘terrorist’.

“And while the Home Secretary rightly emphasised the role of international cooperation, Brexit will mean the UK runs the risk of reduced or no access to the European Arrest Warrant and possibly losing the ability to share freely both criminal records and biometric data between our neighbouring allies.

“It’s vital that Sajid Javid demands the Brexit negotiations prioritise these critical tools for security in the UK.”