Increased risk is price worth paying, says Lib-Dem

A senior Liberal Democrat MP has admitted there will be an "increased risk" of terror attacks on Britain if the Government's anti-terror Bill is blocked by Parliament.

Labour seized on remarks by David Rendel in which he claimed it was "worthwhile" to endure that risk by opposing plans for executive house arrest because the alternative harmed civil liberties. Mr Rendel, an education spokesman, told Radio 5 Live: "If this legislation is not passed there is a marginally increased likelihood of some sort of terrorist attack killing a number of our citizens-The difficulty is weighing that up against the risk to people's liberty who may be thrown into jail without any real cause.

"It is worthwhile to have a marginal increase in the risk of terrorism, there's a risk whatever you do."

Fraser Kemp MP, Labour's campaign spokesman, today said: "It is astonishing that, in the week that marks the anniversary of the Madrid bombing, a member of Charles Kennedy's frontbench team would say that an increased risk of terrorist attack is ' worthwhile'.

"All right-thinking people will be sickened by the Lib-Dem's admission that it is 'worthwhile' to risk people losing their lives in a terrorist attack in the UK."