Terrorism Acts


From 2000 to the 2015, the British Parliament passed a series of Terrorism Acts that were aimed at terrorism in general, rather than specifically focused on terrorism related to Northern Ireland. The timings were influenced by the September 11, 2001 attacks and 7 July London bombings, as well as the politics of the Global War on Terrorism, according to the politicians who announce them as their response to a terrorism act.
Between them, they provided a definition of terrorism that made it possible to establish a new and distinct set of police powers and procedures, beyond those related to ordinary crime, which could be applied in terrorist cases.

List of legislation

;The Terrorism Act 2000
;The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
;The Criminal Justice Act 2003
;The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Order 2003
;The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005
;The Terrorism Act 2006
;The Terrorism Order 2006
;The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008
;The Coroners and Justice Act 2009
;The Terrorism Order 2009
;The Terrorist Asset-Freezing Act 2010
;The Justice and Security Act 2013
;The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015
;The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019

Response

In February 2009, the Liberal Democrats published a Freedom Bill designed to repeal many of these laws aimed at reversing the "cumulative loss" of civil liberties in Britain.
In his comprehensive commentary on the anti-terrorism legislation, Professor Clive Walker of the University of Leeds comments:

The Terrorism Act 2000 represents a worthwhile attempt to fulfil the role of a modern code against terrorism, though it fails to meet the desired standards in all respects. There are aspects where rights are probably breached, and its mechanisms to ensure democratic accountability and constitutionalism are even more deficient, as discussed in the section on "Scrutiny" earlier in this chapter. It is also a sobering thought, proffered by the Home Affairs Committee, that the result is that "This country has more anti-terrorist legislation on its statute books than almost any other developed democracy.". But at least that result initially flowed from a solemnly studied and carefully constructed legislative exercise.

Since the 1970s, an has reviewed the operation of the UK's principal anti-terrorism laws, reporting to the Home Secretary and to Parliament.