Draft snooper's charter 'fails on spying powers and privacy protections'

Proposed bill sharply criticised by MPs on intelligence and security committee appointed by prime minister

Theresa May's draft "snooper's charter" bill fails to cover all the intrusive spying powers of the security agencies and lacks clarity in its privacy protections, a parliamentary committee has said.

The intelligence and security committee said the draft legislation published by the home secretary suffered from a lack of sufficient time and preparation. It was evident that even those working on the legislation had not always been clear about what it was intended to achieve, it said.