Not just 42 days

The resignation of the shadow Home Secretary has placed even further emphasis on the 42 days clause of the Bill currently before Parliament. Imprisoning suspects without charge for six weeks is a shocking development, but I wonder if the 42 days clause, appalling as it is, has distracted attention from some other unwelcome developments.

One provision that struck me was the power given to ministers to hold inquests in secret. Section 77 of the Bill which amends the Coroners Act 1988 provides in part:

“The Secretary of State may certify in relation to an inquest that, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, the inquest will involve the consideration of material that should not be made public—

(a) in the interests of national security,

(b) in the interests of the relationship between the United Kingdom and another country, or

(c) otherwise in the public interest.”

The idea of secret inquests – presumably held in camera without a jury – is an unsettling one. I cannot help wondering how wide the definition of public interest in (c) will prove to be. Will it be taken to mean anything embarrassing to the authorities?