“DEMOCRATIC banditry” shoved state snooping laws through the Commons yesterday in less time than it takes to sign up for a broadband connection.

Principled MPs spoke out as Con-Dem ministers cited emergency measures to rush their “snooper’s charter” through Parliament in the space of a single afternoon. 

The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Bill will legitimise the government’s controversial “blanket retention” policy, which requires internet service providers to log details of all users’ online activity for inspection by police, spooks and other government agencies.