WIKIJohn Redwood MP
Career
Conservative MP for Wokingham (since 1987) and chairman of the Conservative party's economic competitiveness policy group.
Issues
Don't Spy On Us
Responding to an email from one of his constituents as part of the Don't Spy On Us campaign, John Redwood gave this short response.
27 February 2014
Thank you for your email. I do support stronger civil liberties and have been on the side of less surveillance and more scrutiny in the discussions with Ministers on this topic.
Comms Data Bill
"The suggestion is very good and because we wish to prevent terrorism by all sensible means, we will not try to prevent the Minister from extending the powers of the state in this way in order to have some control over internet material. However, in order to reassure all those involved in legitimate reportage, history writing or internet communication that they are not being targeted, a senior judicial figure should be involved in such cases. That would also provide an added protection for our constables. The Minister said that we are talking about a very limited number of specially trained people—people who need remarkable language skills and judgment in trying to distinguish between the different types of material that I have sketched out today—but in fact, the Bill states that any constable could deal with such matters. That places too big a burden on constables, and might lead to pressure being put on them by people who see websites that they do not like, and who think that this could be a route to getting them closed down." [1]
Previous Career
Banker. Still employed by Rothschilds. Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.
Education
DPhil from Oxford.
Contact Information
The Rt Hon John Redwood MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA and 30 Rose Street, Wokingham RG40 1XU.
john.redwood.mp@parliament.uk
020 7219 6191 (Office Manager)
News
- 2007-08-21 - OUT_LAW - Lawyer questions Tories' plan to reform Data Protection Act
- Summary: The Conservative Party has put forward proposals to reform the Data Protection Act to end what it calls "the huge regulatory burden" it places on businesses. But the figures used to justify the changes have been criticised for being almost 10 years old. A legal expert has called the figures "unreliable" and also claims it is "unrealistic" to blame the Act for all compliance costs in this area. The Conservative Party's red tape review is titled 'Freeing Britain to Compete: Equipping the UK for Globalisation.' It is published as an official submission to the Shadow Cabinet by the party's Economic Competiveness Policy Group, which is chaired by John Redwood MP.