Andy Burnham, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on the announcement that there will be a new offence of breach of pre-charge bail, said:

“This move is a victory for Labour. We have put pressure on the Government to toughen the police bail regime for terror suspects and are pleased that the Home Secretary is finally listening. It cannot be right that terror suspects on police bail are waltzing out of the country and it is essential that this loophole is closed as a matter of urgency.

“But we will need to see whether Theresa May’s proposals go far enough. It is essential that the Police are able to request surrender of passports and travel documents as a condition of release from custody. Nothing less will stop people like Siddhartha Dhar travelling to Syria. We look forward to the Home Secretary’s clarification on this crucial point.”

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