Blunkett retreat on 'snooper's charter'

David Blunkett today went into spectacular retreat over plans to allow local councils and other bodies to snoop on private emails and mobile phone calls - after his son told him the proposals would be a disaster.

Hugh Blunkett, 22, who works in the computer industry, was the clinching factor behind the Home Secretary's decision effectively to abandon the controversial move, dubbed a "snooper's charter".

Hugh told his father last night that his workmates were "very concerned" about the proposals which would have given a wide range of bodies unprecedented access to emails and phone records.

Today Mr Blunkett admitted the Government had "blundered" over the issue and had "got it wrong" after coming under fierce attack from all sides and facing a major rebellion by Labour MPs and peers.

"When you're in a hole stop digging," he said. "I was prepared to take abuse about a climbdown than get on the wrong side of the British people. I have no intention that we should be Big Brother."

Officially a debate on the proposals have been delayed until the autumn at the earliest but the tone of Mr Blunkett's remarks today left it in little doubt that they were dead in the water.

Original plans last week drew up a list of bodies who would have wideranging powers to access emails and mobile phone records which included, most controversially, local councils and the Food Standards Agency. Yesterday the first signs of a retreat became apparent when a parliamentary debate on the plans, originally meant for today, was delayed until a week today.

Today this was put off indefinitely and Mr Blunkett admitted: "If it's a climbdown, it's a climbdown.

"I would rather that than use our majority to force it through. If we could start again, get a consensus, then we can have the protection and we can calm people's fears."

The Home Secretary said the Government needed to "start from scratch" and added: "I have a son of my own who is in the data business who said - 'Look, dad, people are seeing this in exactly the opposite direction to what you intended and if you do not get off it you are going to end up with people believing their own communications data is going to be interfered with."

Although government departments and other public bodies have certain powers over emails and phone records under the Data Protection Act, none of them has any powers under the two-year-old Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

This was the Act which was - until today - to have been amended to give new powers to Whitehall, local authorities and other agencies. It currently gives access to the police, the intelligence agencies, Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise.

A source close to the Home Secretary said the proper balance needed to be struck between public freedom and the fight against paedophiles and other serious criminals.