I'll be tough on terror
By GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON
Political Editor
September 08, 2006
Gordon Brown: Soon-to-be Prime Minister
GORDON Brown today loyally backs “courageous” Tony Blair over the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Chancellor vows to match Mr Blair’s tough stand on al-Qaeda and the Taliban if he takes over as PM.
In a hard-hitting article in today’s Sun — just three days before the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks — Mr Brown marks himself out as a staunch supporter of the US.
And it will reassure critics he won’t be in the pockets of old-style left-wingers if he takes power.
In his article, the Chancellor pays tribute to Britain’s brave servicemen and women — vowing never to let the military go short of cash or equipment.
He insists police must have powers to hold terror suspects for longer than 28 days without charge.
And he backs the PM’s plans for national ID cards and biometric passports.
Mr Brown warns al-Qaeda sympathisers he will ensure the security services have every power to hunt them down.
The timing of his Sun article is crucial.
It shows he is out to silence critics who think he’s an old-style Labour dinosaur.
And he is determined to carry on in Mr Blair’s direction on foreign policy, ensuring our special relationship with the US.
Gordon Brown's article for The Sun newspaper -
NEXT Monday is the fifth anniversary of September 11.
In a few days, I will visit New York, and reaffirm to the American people that Britain — under the courageous leadership of Tony Blair — stands now as then, shoulder to shoulder with them.
In al-Qaeda, we face an enemy driven by hatred of our very existence.
Between justice and evil, humanity and barbarism, democracy and tyranny, no one can afford to be neutral or disengaged.
That is why — even as we mourn the losses from a dark week in Iraq and Afghanistan — Britain can take pride that our heroic armed forces are leading in the global fight we must wage against terrorism.
Since 9/11, terrorists have maimed and murdered thousands more innocent people in 25 countries around the world — without discrimination, mercy or warning — including the 24 men and 28 women we mourn, murdered on London’s trains and buses last year.
And it is only through the painstaking efforts of our security services and police, with five separate suspected conspiracies thwarted since July 7, that more atrocities have been averted.
I have already doubled the money we spend on security since 9/11 to £2billion per year, and I guarantee we will continue to spend whatever it takes to meet the new security demands we face, and our military commitments abroad.
As a result of the August 10 terror raids alone, there have been 69 separate searches, with 400 computers, 200 mobile phones and 8,000 data storage devices seized.
When encrypted data takes weeks to decipher and thousands of email and phone contacts need to be checked, all across dozens of countries, it is obvious to me that the police need more than 28 days to investigate.
So — as well as money — we must ensure our police have the powers they need.
To ensure there is no hiding place for those who fund terrorists, we must also invest in modern forensic accounting techniques to identify the international money trails.
Every week, Treasury minister Ed Balls and I have to take decisions on freezing the assets of suspected terrorists and the benefits paid to their dependants. A total of 187 accounts and half a million pounds have been frozen, several since the August raids and more to follow.
We must also strengthen our border controls and enhance our ability to identify suspects before they have the chance to strike.
So, alongside the national ID card scheme, our next step must be the introduction of biometrics in new passports and visas, and the screening of all passengers.
And besides targeting the terrorists themselves, we must win the battle for hearts and minds in their communities.
When Britain and America set out to win the Cold War, we realised victory lay both in our military power and in persuading people under Soviet control to demand their economic freedom and human rights.
It was a battle fought through books and ideas, even music and the arts, and it helped bring Communism down from within.
So, as well as supporting our police, security services and armed forces in the front line of the war on terror at home and abroad, we also need to mobilise the power of argument and ideas to expose and defeat the ideology of hate.
I speak often of the challenges of globalisation. But upon overcoming the challenge of global terrorism all else we value depends.
My aim as Chancellor has since 1997 been a Britain strong in economic stability. In the years ahead, all our aims must be a Britain strong in stability, strong in security, and strong in the world: a Britain truly safe and secure in our hands.
thesun.co.uk
By GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON
Political Editor
September 08, 2006
Gordon Brown: Soon-to-be Prime Minister
GORDON Brown today loyally backs “courageous” Tony Blair over the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Chancellor vows to match Mr Blair’s tough stand on al-Qaeda and the Taliban if he takes over as PM.
In a hard-hitting article in today’s Sun — just three days before the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks — Mr Brown marks himself out as a staunch supporter of the US.
And it will reassure critics he won’t be in the pockets of old-style left-wingers if he takes power.
In his article, the Chancellor pays tribute to Britain’s brave servicemen and women — vowing never to let the military go short of cash or equipment.
He insists police must have powers to hold terror suspects for longer than 28 days without charge.
And he backs the PM’s plans for national ID cards and biometric passports.
Mr Brown warns al-Qaeda sympathisers he will ensure the security services have every power to hunt them down.
The timing of his Sun article is crucial.
It shows he is out to silence critics who think he’s an old-style Labour dinosaur.
And he is determined to carry on in Mr Blair’s direction on foreign policy, ensuring our special relationship with the US.
Gordon Brown's article for The Sun newspaper -
NEXT Monday is the fifth anniversary of September 11.
In a few days, I will visit New York, and reaffirm to the American people that Britain — under the courageous leadership of Tony Blair — stands now as then, shoulder to shoulder with them.
In al-Qaeda, we face an enemy driven by hatred of our very existence.
Between justice and evil, humanity and barbarism, democracy and tyranny, no one can afford to be neutral or disengaged.
That is why — even as we mourn the losses from a dark week in Iraq and Afghanistan — Britain can take pride that our heroic armed forces are leading in the global fight we must wage against terrorism.
Since 9/11, terrorists have maimed and murdered thousands more innocent people in 25 countries around the world — without discrimination, mercy or warning — including the 24 men and 28 women we mourn, murdered on London’s trains and buses last year.
And it is only through the painstaking efforts of our security services and police, with five separate suspected conspiracies thwarted since July 7, that more atrocities have been averted.
I have already doubled the money we spend on security since 9/11 to £2billion per year, and I guarantee we will continue to spend whatever it takes to meet the new security demands we face, and our military commitments abroad.
As a result of the August 10 terror raids alone, there have been 69 separate searches, with 400 computers, 200 mobile phones and 8,000 data storage devices seized.
When encrypted data takes weeks to decipher and thousands of email and phone contacts need to be checked, all across dozens of countries, it is obvious to me that the police need more than 28 days to investigate.
So — as well as money — we must ensure our police have the powers they need.
To ensure there is no hiding place for those who fund terrorists, we must also invest in modern forensic accounting techniques to identify the international money trails.
Every week, Treasury minister Ed Balls and I have to take decisions on freezing the assets of suspected terrorists and the benefits paid to their dependants. A total of 187 accounts and half a million pounds have been frozen, several since the August raids and more to follow.
We must also strengthen our border controls and enhance our ability to identify suspects before they have the chance to strike.
So, alongside the national ID card scheme, our next step must be the introduction of biometrics in new passports and visas, and the screening of all passengers.
And besides targeting the terrorists themselves, we must win the battle for hearts and minds in their communities.
When Britain and America set out to win the Cold War, we realised victory lay both in our military power and in persuading people under Soviet control to demand their economic freedom and human rights.
It was a battle fought through books and ideas, even music and the arts, and it helped bring Communism down from within.
So, as well as supporting our police, security services and armed forces in the front line of the war on terror at home and abroad, we also need to mobilise the power of argument and ideas to expose and defeat the ideology of hate.
I speak often of the challenges of globalisation. But upon overcoming the challenge of global terrorism all else we value depends.
My aim as Chancellor has since 1997 been a Britain strong in economic stability. In the years ahead, all our aims must be a Britain strong in stability, strong in security, and strong in the world: a Britain truly safe and secure in our hands.
thesun.co.uk