Minister ridicules ‘Jeremy Kyle tests’

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has clashed with Downing Street after rejecting the rollout of “Jeremy Kyle”-style lie detector tests for terrorists.

The plan to polygraph prisoners convicted of terror offences forms part of the UK Government’s Counter Terror and Sentencing Bill and was intended to apply across all jurisdictions of the UK.

But Mr Yousaf, in a social media tirade, suggested the only place for lie detector tests was on reality shows like Jeremy Kyle.

“This policy has rightly been ridiculed by most,” he said.

“We don’t use ‘Jeremy Kyle’ polygraph tests in our justice system in Scotland, never have.

“This measure won’t keep us safe.”

The polygraph proposal came in response to the murder of two people near London Bridge last November by terrorist Usman Khan.

Khan had been out on licence from prison when he fatally stabbed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt at Fishmongers’ Hall.

In a long-awaited report into the failings that allowed Khan to kill while on parole, the UK’s independent reviewer of terror legislation, Jonathan Hall QC, said: “Polygraph testing is a sensible additional tool for obtaining information relevant to risk posed by terrorist offenders.

“The results are likely to assist in determining whether the offender is complying with their licence conditions and can assist police to consider risk factors.”

Discussions between the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government on the use of polygraph testing in Scotland are ongoing.

Responding to Mr Yousaf’s claim that they are nothing more than “Jeremy Kyle tests”, a Downing Street spokesman said: “They will be a useful additional tool in the management of dangerous terrorist offenders.”

Humza Yousaf.