Tory MPS left ‘horrified’ by new ‘child spies’ legislation

BORIS JOHNSON faces a major Tory backlash this week over plans to allow children to be used as spies by state agencies against their parents.

Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, and David Davis, former Brexit secretary, are among Tory MPS backing rebel proposals to restrict the use of children as spies when the Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS) Bill returns to the Commons.

Mr Davis told The Daily Telegraph the Government faced a major backlash if it pushed ahead with the plans. “Everyone I have spoken to has been horrified by it when it has been explained to them,” he said. “It will allow 16 and 17-year-olds to spy on their parents. It also authorises them to commit crimes as well, so it needs to be extremely tightly controlled and those controls need to be greater than what the Government is proposing.”

Mr Duncan Smith said: “Once you start taking action like this to put spies in people’s homes, whatever the purpose, this does have complications. It is very important for Government to recognise that this is not something that should be easily done in a democratic state.”

The Government was defeated on its plans in the Lords by 339 to 254 votes earlier this month but now plans to try to overturn the peers’ amendment this week in the Commons when the CHIS Bill returns to be considered by MPS. Even if the Government wins, it is likely to lead to a major Commons versus Lords “ping-pong” battle because of the scale of opposition in the upper house which was led by Lord Young, a former Tory chief whip and Cabinet minister.

Opponents comprised 13 Tories including former Cabinet ministers Lord Randall, Lord Garnier, a former solicitor general, and Baroness Warsi, as well as 79 crossbenchers, four bishops, Labour and Liberal Democrats.

The Government’s CHIS Bill allows children to be used as undercover spies by more than 20 state agencies. Covert child agents can break the law if it means they will be able to glean information that could prevent or detect crime, protect public health, safety, or national security or help collect taxes, says the guidance from the Government this month.

Older children aged 16 and 17 could even be recruited to spy on their parents if they were suspected of being involved in crime or terrorism. However, the guidance says child spies should only be recruited or deployed in “exceptional circumstances”.