Pressure mounts on Blair over MPs phone tap row
The cabinet has received a recommendation from Sir Swinton Thomas, the interception of communications commissioner, that the 40-year-old ban should be lifted and is currently considering the matter.
The Independent on Sunday reported that Prime Minister Tony Blair wants to lift the prohibition but faces opposition from colleagues. It added that opposition from Defence Secretary John Reid sparked a fierce row in the cabinet. An announcement on the issue, which comes under an expansion of MI5 powers following the London bombings, could come within weeks, the newspaper claimed. However, Mr Reid ducked questions over the issue yesterday. He told ITV television: “I think that no one would take such a change lightly, and I know that neither the prime minister nor my cabinet colleagues would take such a change lightly, but the important thing is the idea does not originate with us, it is a recommendation of Sir Swinton Thomas.”
