Orwellian new banking surveillance powers offer huge potential for abuse
To what extent do you trust this, or any previous, government?
It's a relevant question, given the sweeping new powers that parliament is seemingly being asked to hand over to our elected – and unelected – masters on a weekly basis. The point of the question, however, is in the fact of its being asked at all: while there has always been a healthy degree of suspicion between the governed and the government, it is hard to imagine a time when that disconnect has been greater than it is today.
A civil service obsessed with identity politics of all varieties, which threatens strike action if its members are not allowed to remain at home most of the week while suffering no loss in pay, which reserves the right to complain publicly about policies being pursued by the elected government, cannot hope to retain the good will and support of the public. Yet now the government has chosen to give middle-ranking civil servants with unprecedented powers to spy on ordinary citizens' financial affairs.
As revealed by The Telegraph today, a new fraud Bill will allow civil servants to demand that banks provide personal information about an individual's account without a court order, and extract funds if they 'reasonably believe' that money is owed to the taxpayer. They will also be given the power to ask for a search and entry warrant and to freeze bank accounts.
We may assume the new measures can be filed under 'seemed a good idea at the time', since they were initially proposed under the previous Conservative government in response to the eye-watering levels of fraud that took place during that weird period of history defined by the Covid pandemic and lockdown. So much public money disappeared under relatively little public scrutiny or oversight that the new government feels emboldened to clamp down on potential ongoing fraud, secure in the knowledge that the public would tolerate never-before-seen investigative powers wielded by relatively junior civil servants on behalf of the public purse.
And if those powers could be guaranteed to be used only against the fraudsters, there would be very little opposition to the new measures. The question is whether those powers, once granted, will not be used more and more against ordinary citizens who are merely suspected, perhaps with little evidence, of not paying enough tax or claiming too many benefits without justification. Do we really want to live in a country where citizens' bank accounts can be examined, frozen or have cash withdrawn – all without the account holder being told what is happening or why?
As the legislation currently stands, sign-off by a minister, which would offer at least the appearance of some democratic accountability, would not be required before an individual's bank account is accessed and further action proposed. The powers could be wielded by any anti-fraud official with a civil service rank above 'higher executive officer' – a Whitehall middle manager – and will apply to members of the Public Sector Fraud Authority, a new government body designed to crack down on criminal fraud against public bodies.
Naturally, civil liberties groups have raised concerns about the legislation. Big Brother Watch, the civil liberties campaign group, told The Telegraph that the 'dangerous new bank spying powers' would 'effectively turn banks into agents of the state, tasked with spying on everyone's bank accounts and reporting back to the Government'.
There's an ugly element of arrogance in all of this, a touch of 'We are the masters now' sort of philosophy from a party that won a 170-seat Commons majority on barely a third of the popular vote. The question posed earlier as to whether you trust this or previous governments can be reframed and put to current ministers: would you trust these powers to be used fairly by ministers of another party, after the next election? In the event of a Reform-led coalition government, are you content for such unprecedented executive power over individuals' livelihoods to be in the hands of your political opponents?
Fraud must be challenged and detected and its perpetrators held to account. But in doing so, the government needs to take citizens with them. At the start of this century, the Proceeds of Crime Act was opposed by many in the legal establishment who felt it would result in miscarriages of justice in the legitimate fight against organised crime. Those concerns were proved groundless thanks to the legal safeguards in the legislation. Unless similarly robust safeguards are inserted into this new legislation, ministers risk damaging further, perhaps irretrievably, the delicate and essential political contract that exists between them and their voters.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
Banana-toting robber jailed over Bradford post office heist
A masked robber who held up a post office with a banana wrapped in a plastic bag has been jailed for three years and four Asquith, 42, brandished the bendy fruit and shouted at staff to empty the till during the raid in Allerton Road, Bradford, on 6 Crown Court heard Asquith, of Chelwood Drive, Bradford, left with more than £6,000, which is yet to be sentence Judge Jonathan Gibson KC said he had concealed the banana in such a way "to make it look realistic". The court heard the member of staff on duty at the time had been left "too scared to return to the shop" after the incident. The judge said: "They at the time thought they were the victims of an armed robbery and indeed could have been shot."CCTV footage played in court showed Asquith walk into the post office before shouting at the victim "empty the till".Prosecutors had initially suggested Asquith had been carrying an imitation firearm or something designed to resemble after Asquith told the court it was a banana the prosecution said if CCTV footage of the incident did not rule out the possibility, they would accept the defendant's Arshad, mitigating, said Asquith's behaviour could be explained by his diagnosis of emphysema, a lung condition, which he said had prevented him working as a painter and added that Asquith had been abusing alcohol and Class A drugs before the robbery. Asquith pleaded guilty to robbery and possessing an imitation firearm at a previous hearing. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Sky News
25 minutes ago
- Sky News
Alana Armstrong: Driver cleared of murdering woman who was knocked off electric motorbike
A driver has been acquitted of murdering a 25-year-old mother who was knocked off the back of an electric motorbike. Alana Armstrong, who had a six-year-old son, died at the scene on a country lane in Pleasley, Derbyshire. Her boyfriend Jordan Newton-Kay, who was riding the electric motorbike, had his right leg amputated 15cm above the knee after the crash. Prosecutors alleged that Keaton Muldoon had "pursued" the couple on 26 November 2024 but he was found not guilty of murder following a trial at Derby Crown Court. The 23-year-old told the jury he "did not know" he had hit anyone while driving his Land Rover Discovery and thought he had overtaken the pair. Muldoon said he feared he was going to be robbed but did not "chase" the Sur-Ron off-road bike after it had stopped by his 4x4 at a lay-by. He had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving before the trial began in May. The jury also cleared Muldoon of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Newton-Kay. Muldoon - who the court heard was a drug dealer - was the father to a newborn baby at the time of the collision. He said he lied to police that his uncle had possession of the Land Rover when the crash happened because he was "scared" about the murder investigation. Earlier this week, he told the jury: "My head was all over I didn't know what to think. "I knew I wasn't going to see my children for a bit. I just had a newborn baby. I promised I would always be there."
BBC News
25 minutes ago
- BBC News
Norfolk council leader sorry over 'poor people' Facebook post
A council leader apologised "unreservedly" for posting a picture of a steak dinner on Facebook with the words: "Wonder what all the poor people are doing?"Norfolk County Council's Conservative leader Kay Mason Billig said it was a private joke that had been taken out of context and the comments were "not intended to be about anyone else".A copy of her post, which showed a tomahawk steak, red wine and a salad, was shared with the Eastern Daily council's Liberal Democrat group leader Brian Watkins said it made "a mockery of many in our county struggling to make ends meet" and called for her to resign. Mason Billig, who has led the council since 2023, said: "Of course I apologise unreservedly if I have caused any offence, it was never my intention to do so."She said the image – taken from her personal Facebook page – was being "twisted into something it isn't"."My husband and I have sometimes called ourselves 'the poor people'," she explained."It's a private joke as we live fairly modestly, so when we have a treat, we will sometimes post about it."It's not intended to be about anyone else and is no reflection on people who are less well off than ourselves."I am deeply disappointed that someone has decided to be this horrible when they must certainly know it's actually self deprecation." While the post was made on her personal page, University of Essex professor of government Paul Whiteley said politicians had to be careful using social media."To somebody who didn't know her, it would sound like she was being rude about people who are poor, even if that's not what she meant," he said."That's what it will sound like to the vast majority of people."Watkins, whose Liberal Democrats are the main opposition group on the council, said Mason Billig "should consider her resignation immediately"."A councillor is never off duty. These comments make a mockery of many in our county struggling to make ends meet."Labour group leader Steve Morphew said Mason Billig was "out of touch". Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
