Diana inquiry officer asked to be Britain's anti-terror Minister

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Inside Knowledge: Lord Stevens

Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Stevens, who recently completed the official investigation into Princess Diana's death, has been offered the role of Britain's first Security Minister.

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Lord Stevens, who was made a life peer in 2005, is being urged to take on the job of overseeing MI5 and police anti-terrorist operations in the UK.

The new Security Minister is to be the key post in the proposed reorganisation of the Home Office.

Independent peer Lord Stevens - a crossbencher who does not vote with any particular political party - is seen as the ideal candidate.

Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown want the appointment to ensure that key decisions in protecting Britain in the war on terror would be seen as 'non-partisan'.

A Whitehall source said:

"Britain is on a war footing. We are being attacked by terrorists and ordinary citizens have been killed. This issue is now above party politics.

"Lord Stevens's inside knowledge would give him a huge advantage over a career politician in the role but, because he is a member of the House of Lords, he would still be answerable to Parliament."

The move comes in the wake of allegations that the Security Service could have done more to prevent the July 7 bombings in London after it was revealed it had two of the terrorists under surveillance before the attacks.

The Government believes Lord Stevens's experience of running national anti-terror operations during five years as head of the Met Police makes him ideal for the security brief.

The biggest stumbling block would be in persuading him to relinquish his growing business portfolio in exchange for an £81,000-a-year Ministerial salary.

As well as producing a report for the Royal Coroner into the death of Princess Diana, he is involved in a Premier League investigation into so-called transfer 'bungs'.

Home Secretary John Reid wanted to create a department along the lines of the American Department for Homeland Security to co-ordinate the Government's anti-terrorism efforts more efficiently.

A spokesman for Mr Reid said the appointment of Lord Stevens was 'an interesting suggestion'.

Lord Stevens failed to respond to repeated attempts by The Mail on Sunday to contact him for a comment.

 

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