Prime Minister David Cameron will today urge Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to back the Investigatory Powers bill – the controversial legislation that gives the security services greater digital surveillance powers.
The Prime Minister, and home secretary Theresa May, are pushing for greater surveillance powers as part of the fight against Daesh terrorists.
Speaking ahead of today’s meeting the Prime Minster said that "Daesh pose a very direct threat to our country "and that "we are looking at a number of issues, including the use of intelligence information and we also need to ensure co-operation at a legislative level as well."
The SNP has 56 MPs in Parliament, and has previously raised concerns about the proposals, although it has not yet explicitly come out against them.
If Sturgeon were to urge her Westminster representatives to support the IP Bill, it would be a boost to Cameron, helping offset any possible rebellion in his own Conservative ranks.
"We cannot afford to give terrorists safe spaces in which to communicate and we must give the police and security services the tools they need to keep us safe in the 21st century. I am hopeful that when we debate the Investigatory Powers Bill in the new year, we can achieve cross-party support for these fundamental concepts," Cameron said.
Technology companies have previously raised objections to the proposed legislation, including Pravin Kothari, founder and CEO of CipherCloud, who said: "The push to mandate data retention by ISPs and to allow warrantless access for investigators will certainly expand law enforcement’s surveillance capabilities – to the detriment of personal privacy."
Blockchain firm Eris Industries has moved its headquarters to New York from London, and advised its staff to leave the city, in protest at the moves. The firms COO and general counsel Preston Byrne has described the legislation as "completely unnecessary".
