Clegg’s Brexit security warning is dismissed

NICK Clegg’s claim that Brexit poses a ‘direct threat to national security’ has been dismissed by a former Scotland Yard counter-terrorism chief.

The former Lib Dem leader claimed a ‘hard Brexit’ could see the UK lose access to the EU Schengen Information System (SIS II) database – which contains ‘real time’ details about terrorism suspects and criminals.

But Richard Walton, former head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command, said: ‘The reality is that Brexit will have little, if any, impact on UK counter-ter- rorism operations, even if it ceases to become a formal member of Europol.’

He said the UK contributed ‘substantial amounts of data’ to the database and insisted access to it ‘is not dependent on formal membership of the EU.’

Mr Walton said Britain’s collaboration with the EU on counter-terrorism was ‘already robust’, adding: ‘The UK has a more extensive and effective counter-terrorism overseas network, with global reach, than the EU – a network that EU states will no doubt continue to draw upon post-Brexit.’

Mr Clegg had accused Theresa May of an ‘extreme approach to Brexit’ because she plans to end the European Court of Justice’s jurisdiction here. He said this could see the UK ‘severed’ from SIS II, which he described as ‘fantastically useful’ against terrorism.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: ‘The Lib Dems are peddling nonsense. We’ve made clear that under Theresa May security cooperation will be a priority and it’s not in the EU’s interest to lessen that relationship.’