Tom Watson - safety more important than human rights issues

Labour's deputy leader suggested he supported Theresa May's vow to rip up human rights laws to toughen restrictions on terror suspects - but said the Prime Minister had serious questions to answer over policing cuts and intelligence failures.

His view appeared to put him at odds with Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, who has said human rights legislation was not a barrier in the fight against extremism.

Mr Watson also warned that the UK was 'at a crossroads' and faced 'an uncertain future', and said terrorism and security had become the key issue on the doorstep in the General Election.

Mr Watson and Labour's Dudley North candidate Ian Austin visited the Express & Star's Queen Street offices as the seven-week election campaign entered its final hours.

Asked for his thoughts on Mrs May's comments on scrapping aspects of human rights legislation, Mr Watson said: "It is another rewrite of their manifesto, because that specifically says they won't do that.

"But the only human rights we should all be interested in are the human rights of families that want to take their kids to pop concerts and the people who want to go out to restaurants on a weekend.

"The central most important argument that has to come over in this election is that we will do everything we can to keep our people secure, whoever is in government on Friday."

He added: "I think she made a political point and actually the bigger question is, what are you actually going to do to make this country secure?

"In this year's budget there are cuts to our border control and now we have found out that one of the terrorists was on a watch list and wasn't stopped when he entered the country.

"Now something has gone wrong there. This is going to run on beyond the election but we need to know why we could let a terrorist walk through our borders and into our country and commit an act of terror.

"I hope that we can take the heat out of the electioneering on it and get to the real issue, which is about, do we have adequate policing, are our intelligence services funded in the right way and targeted at the right people, and how we are going to keep our borders secure."

He said that from the very start of the campaign the key issue for people in the Black Country had been security and policing.

Even before the terror atrocities in Manchester and London people were concerned about the lack of police on the street, he said, adding: "Our nation's security has been absolutely centre stage at this election."

Mr Watson, who is battling to keep his West Bromwich East seat in the election, said 'the precautionary principle has to apply' when dealing with terror suspects as he backed calls give police greater powers when dealing with them.

He has advocated a return to control orders, which enabled police to restrict the movements of terror suspects before they were dropped by the Coalition Government.

"I think if you had a referendum on control orders tomorrow people would come out in favour of control orders.

"It was a great shame that Theresa May got rid of them back in 2012. She has hinted that she wants to go back to a regime like that.

"I think it is definitely worth reconsidering again when Parliament returns after the election."

Mr Austin said: "I think it is fair to say that if people are involved in extremist or dangerous activity, they should be on control orders or locked up.

"If people are not British citizens and they are involved in these things, they should be kicked out of the country.

"And personally I think if people are going to fight in Libya or Syria they should not be allowed back into the country. I'd leave them out there."

Stressing the importance of tomorrow's election, Mr Watson said: "It seems to me that the country is doing a lot of soul searching and it does feel like we are at a crossroads.

"We are coming out of the EU. We are facing an uncertain future. People want to know they will have a government that gives them not just security on a physical level but economic security as well.

"That's why I think the issues on the doorstep have been so complex and so varied in this election.

"I've never known anything like it really."

Earlier in the campaign Mr Watson said Labour had a 'mountain to climb' to win the election, although the pendulum appears to have swung towards the party in recent weeks.

He said: "I would say we have got to base camp. I don't know whether we will get to the summit or not. That is down to the voters.

"I'm really proud of our team here in the Black Country. People like Ian who have given a voice to local people, whether it is standing up for the NHS or fighting to keep his local police station open.

"Our local candidates have been excellent."