Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill 2017-19

The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill was published on 6 June 2018.

The Government has published Explanatory Notes. The GovUK website has a collection of relevant documents including overarching documents and factsheets.

Library Briefing Paper 7613, Terrorism in Great Britain: the statistics provides relevant statistical information.

The Bill follows the Government’s reviews of its counter-terrorism strategy and of counter terrorism legislation. Part 1 of the Bill would bring in the legislative changes arising from those reviews. Amongst other changes, it would:

• Make it an offence to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation in certain circumstances (clause 1)
• Criminalise the publication of certain images which would arouse reasonable suspicion that the offender was a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation (clause 2)
• Strengthen the existing offence of downloading terrorist material and extend it to streaming such material, where this is done on three or more occasions (clause 3)
• Strengthen existing offences of encouragement of terrorism and dissemination of terrorist publications (clause 4)
• Increase maximum sentences for certain terrorist offences (clause 6)
• Add to the list of offences for which extended sentences can be given in certain circumstances (clause 8)
• Make changes to the notification requirements for registered terrorist offenders, and introduce a new police power to enter and search their homes (clauses 11 and 12)
• Add certain terrorist offences to the list of offences for which a Serious Crime Prevention Order can be given (clause 13)
• Allow local authorities (as well as the police) to refer people who are considered vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism to the multi-agency panels which assess them and provide support (clause 18)
• Part 2 of the Bill is in response to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury on 4 March 2018 with a nerve agent. Clause 20 and schedule 3 would bring in powers to stop, question, search and detain people at ports and borders to determine whether they appear to be (or have been) engaged in hostile activity.

Most of the Bill extends and applies to the whole of the UK, but some clauses have more limited application. For example, the provisions on extended sentences in clause 8 apply only in England and Wales. Details of territorial extent are in clause 24 of the Bill and paragraphs 17-25 and Annex C of the Explanatory Notes.

Consideration of Lords amendments by the House of Commons is scheduled for 22 January 2019.

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