Alex Massie Alex Massie

The Fresh Winds of Principle

David Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, resigns his seat to fight a by-election on the principles of liberty and justice. A startling move, by any measure. And one worthy of respect. If he wins – and the Lib Dems have said they will not put up a candidate to oppose him – then, happily, he’ll make it harder for the Tories to succumb to their worst instincts and backslide on the repeal of 42 Days and other intrusive government legislation, once they return to power.

UPDATE: New Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve says the Tories will repeal 42 Days. Good. If Davis’s actions forced this clarification then that alone seems a decent enough justification for his move. As you would expect, Iain Dale has more.

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