Abu Qatada: Nick Clegg hopeful over deportation

Theresa May is battling to extradite Abu Qatada. Picture: PA

The Deputy Prime Minister praised Home Secretary Theresa May for striking a new deal with Jordan designed to reassure courts that torture evidence would not be used against the terror suspect.

However, he said no one had shown that temporarily abandoning the ECHR was possible, or would make the “blindest bit of difference”.

Speaking on his regular LBC 97.3 radio phone-in, the Liberal Democrat leader said: “It is so infuriating. It makes you want to pull your hair out in frustration to see this guy constantly play this along in the courts and not be deported.

“We want to see him deported, I want to see him deported. Theresa May has done actually a fantastically good job in making sure we can deport him.”

Mr Clegg said the so-called “mutual legal assistance agreement” - which includes guarantees about fair trials - was a “significant step” and provided “a lot of the answers to court judgment”.

“I am for the first time in a long time quietly a little but more optimistic than I have been that we will eventually get rid of this guy,” he said. “It’s not going to happen next Tuesday. No doubt there will be some further legal steps. But I think what Theresa May and her team has done has really, really helped increase the chance of getting him out of the country.”

Mr Clegg said no-one had come to him with proposals for withdrawing from the ECHR - despite David Cameron’s spokesman suggesting it was an option being considered.

“I have no idea even in theory whether jumping in and out of the ECHR would make the blindest bit of difference... no one has made that case, no-one has made that proposal,” he said.

Temporary withdrawal

It was revealed today that Downing Street is considering a temporary withdrawal from the European Convention of Human Rights in order to allow hate preacher Abu Qatada to be expelled from the United Kingdom.

The Home Office is planning to apply directly to the Supreme Court for permission to challenge a Court of Appeal ruling that Qatada cannot be deported to Jordan over fears that evidence obtained through torture would be used against him.

The Appeal Court yesterday refused permission for Mrs May to challenge its March ruling at the Supreme Court, forcing the Home Secretary to take her case direct to the highest court in the land.

Mr Cameron immediately summoned Mrs May, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling and Attorney General Dominic Grieve to what was described as a “council of war” to discuss all available options for removing Qatada.

A Number 10 source said following the meeting that the appeal process had to be gone through but the Prime Minister wanted to explore all ways to “get him out of the country” if it failed.

Asked at a daily Westminster media briefing today whether this included the possibility of a temporary withdrawal from the ECHR, Mr Cameron’s spokesman said: “I am not going to get into specifics on the details of what the Government is considering, but we are going to explore every option.”

The Home Office said it was “disappointed” with the Court of Appeal’s decision, but added: “The Government remains committed to deporting this dangerous man and we continue to work with the Jordanians to address the outstanding legal issues preventing deportation.”

At the Court of Appeal last month, Mrs May’s lawyers challenged a ruling made in November by immigration judges on the grounds that Qatada was a “truly dangerous” individual who had escaped deportation through “errors of law”.

But three appeal judges said the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) was entitled to conclude that disputed statements will be used against Qatada.

Qatada, who featured in hate sermons found on videos in the flat of one of the 9/11 bombers, has thwarted every attempt by the Government to put him on a plane.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said after the decision was announced: “A year ago, Theresa May promised Abu Qatada would soon be on a plane. Now it is clear her legal strategy has completely failed.

The Home Secretary must tell us urgently what she is going to do now to get Abu Qatada deported or tried, and keep him off our streets.”

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