Emergency law to keep terrorists in prison for longer could make public less safe, official report finds

Watchdog warns that law could cause dangerous terrorists to be released without restrictive licence conditions, reports Lizzie Dearden

The law was proposed as emergency legislation after the Streatham attack, where two people were stabbed but survived (AFP)

An emergency law to keep terrorists in prison for longer could make Britain less safe, an official report has warned.

The Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation said current conditions inside jails “suggest that keeping prisoners in custody any longer than necessary may be to expose them to worse influences than if released”.

In a report published in the wake of an attempted attack inside HMP Winchester, Jonathan Hall QC said the law risked creating a “cliff-edge” where terrorists must be freed without licence conditions.