NEW Labour has once again struck another blow against civil liberties. Now the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, proposes to cut back the possibility of compensation available to innocent people who are wrongly imprisoned for crimes they have not committed. The supposed reason for this is to save money.

The Home Office believes we need to make savings on a budget that is already less than the subsidy spent annually on meals for MPs and guests in Westminster.

Considering that a wrongful guilty verdict can ruin somebody's life, should we really look to cap levels of compensation and ensure that only those who have been in jail long enough will be recompensed?

Unfortunately, the justice system is not perfect. Just as guilty people do not always receive punishment, innocent people spend time in jail for crimes they haven't committed. Just as we should try to ensure that those guilty of crimes are brought to book, we should also ensure that those that are wrongfully imprisoned are allowed suitable compensation.

The possibility of compensation also ensures that the courts and the Government have more of an obligation, if they needed one, to ensure that the correct decision is made.

This is the real reason for the new ruling. With its constant erosion of civil liberties, New Labour has made it so easy to imprison innocent people that in the future it could face huge compensation claims, which would, of course, be politically embarrassing.

Coun Tom Holvey,

Ashbourne Way,

Woodthorpe,

York.

Updated: 09:03 Tuesday, April 25, 2006