The Government plans to replace control orders - but only 28% of Conservative members want to see them scrapped

By Jonathan Isaby

The headline on the right is on the front page of today's Daily Telegraph and suggests that the Government is definitely going to scrap control orders - house arrest by another name - for terror suspects.

It quotes the Prime Minister as saying:

"The control order system is imperfect. Everybody knows that. There have been people who've absconded from control orders. It hasn't been a success. We need a proper replacement and I'm confident we'll agree one."

(Click here for a video clip of the Prime Minister from yesterday)

A review of control orders is currently underway - but what will replace them?

Civil libertarians will be delighted at at the prospect of the abolition of a measure which restricts the liberty of people who have never stood trial, let alone been convicted of an offence.

But the populist Right-wing press this morning appears to suggest that they will be disappointed if they were expecting the whole concept of control orders (not just that terminology) to be abolished.

The Sun today writes up the story as Cameron "crushing Nick Clegg's hopes that tough restrictions on terror suspects will be axed", whilst the Daily Mail explains:

The orders, introduced under 2005 anti-terror legislation, effectively allow a suspect’s freedom to be reduced without charge, and involve curfews, electronic tags and bans on where they can go and who they can meet. Mrs May wants any replacement to involve tough rules that retain many of these features.

Preliminary results (1,004 responses) from this month's ConHome grassroots survey - which went live yesterday - suggest that only 28% of members agree that control orders should be abolished. 48% disagreed with their abolition, with 24% undecided.