Bad day for Britain’s spies as intelligence watchdog grows teeth

The pliant old intelligent committee now has Dominic Grieve at he helm – and it’s intent on taking on the snoopers’ charter

Exit Interview: Shami Chakrabarti

As Shami Chakrabarti steps down as director of Liberty, she talks to Politics.co.uk about Theresa May, British democracy and what home secretaries are like in private

One year on from Charlie Hebdo: The French government’s assault on liberté

French liberty is now under threat from the state rather than terrorists

30 years on: What really happened at the Battle of the Beanfield?

It was one of the most violent police attacks on families in modern British history, but is hardly remembered. This is the story of the Battle of the Beanfield.

‘Never face a migrant in your household’: The website which shows how low our debate on immigration has sunk

Websites advising landlords on how to avoid having ‘migrants’ in their property show how toxic our debate on immigration has become.

Pick of the Week: Cameron’s civil liberties crack-down

Our most popular articles this week

Cameron hints at civil liberties crack-down after election

David Cameron uses Tory manifesto launch to reveal he’ll ignore “offence” of civil liberties campaigners

Call for public smoking ban splits anti-tobacco lobby

Demands for a ban on smoking in UK parks and outdoor spaces have split the anti-tobacco movement, with leading figures engaged in an increasingly bad-tempered war of words on the issue

EU directive will monitor MPs’ bank transactions

Thousands of Britain’s most important figures in public life could have their banking transactions monitored closely under new rules from Brussels.

Pick of the week: After the attacks

Civil liberties in retreat as Britain faces a renewed terror threat