The Big Brother state won't happen on the Liberal Democrat’s watch.

Mike Hancock, MP for Portsmouth South is encouraging constituents throughout Portsmouth to sign the below petition to help bring an end to the Home Office’s plans to introduce a snoopers charter. Mike said, “While in opposition we campaigned hard against similar proposals from the Labour party and I was shocked when these proposals were revealed in the media. Liberal Democrats in Government should be making the UK more liberal, not less so, and with the support of people in Portsmouth and throughout the UK through the signing of this petition I am sure we can help to put an end to these plans. This petition will help force the Government to create new safeguards to protect against state surveillance. We will do whatever it takes to protect our most basic civil liberties.” The petition: The Liberal Democrats will only back new security measures if they deliver more privacy not less. We the undersigned call on the government to guarantee that: - no-one in the police, security services or elsewhere in government will be allowed to read the content of internet communications, phone calls or texts without a warrant signed by the Home Secretary - no-one in the police, security services or elsewhere in government will be allowed to access any communications records in real time without a warrant signed by a magistrate - there will be substantially stronger safeguards for civil liberties than currently exist before anyone in the police, security services or elsewhere in government can access any communications records at all.