TOP Tory frontbencher David Davis shocked Westminster today by announcing that he was resigning as an MP to "take a stand" against the Government's 42-day terror detention plan.
The shadow home secretary said he was forcing a by-election to protest against the "insidious" erosion of civil liberties in Britain.
Mr Davis spearheaded the Conservatives' failed bid to defeat the Government over extending detention without char
ge, which caused disquiet among some Tory MPs.
As the resignation drama unfolded in Westminster, a Lib Dem spokeswoman confirmed the party would not be fielding a candidate in the resulting Howden and Haltemprice by-election – giving Mr Davis a clear run against a Labour candidate.
Mr Davis said the undermining of civil liberties through moves such as 42 days and the introduction of ID cards "cannot go on".
"It must be stopped and for that reason today I feel it is incumbent on me to take a stand," he told reporters outside the Commons.
Aides to Mr Davis had indicated that last night's vote was "do or die", and he had staked a great deal of his credibility on the outcome.
Privately Mr Davis has accepted that many on the Tory benches were uncomfortable about opposing tough law and order measures.
However, he is seen as one of the Shadow Cabinet's best operators, and has claimed the scalps of a succession of Home Secretaries.
His popularity among the Conservative grass roots was demonstrated when he came runner-up to David Cameron for the party leadership in 2005.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: "David Davis's decision to resign his seat and fight a by-election over the issue of 42 days is a dramatic move. I am grateful to him for having informed me following the vote of his intention to take this step.
"The Liberal Democrats have consistently opposed this unnecessary and illiberal proposal which poses a threat so serious to British liberties that it transcends party politics.
"I have therefore decided, after consultation with the party nationally and locally, that we will not stand a candidate at the forthcoming by-election which will be contested by David Davis solely on this issue.
"The Liberal Democrats will of course fight the Haltemprice and Howden seat as vigorously as ever at the next General Election."
The Lib Dems had targeted the seat in 2005 as part of its ill-fated "decapitation" strategy to unseat key Tory figures but Mr Davis was re-elected with a 5,116 majority.
Mr Davis's local party fully backed his decision, its chairman Duncan Gilmour said.
"David discussed early in the week what he would do if the result went against us last night. David is a man of principle and we fully back him," he said.
The full article contains 471 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
