Shami Chakrabarti to step down as director of Liberty

Shami Chakrabarti, 46, director of Liberty, is to step down from the role after 12 years.

She joined the group a day before the 9/11 attacks and leaves as a multitude of issues remain on the agenda including state surveillance and counter-terrorism measures.

Ms Chakrabarti, described by The Sun once as “the most dangerous woman in Britain” will remain in the post until a successor is chosen but she has declined to say when this will be. She has said, however, that she is looking forward to stepping aside from what are unrelenting pressures.

During her tenure, Liberty battled attempts to extend the periods suspects can be held without charge to 42 days, challenged powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 that allowed people to be stopped and searched without suspicion and fended off plans for ID cards among other things.

She said she wanted “loads and loads of people” to apply for the role and that she was not promoting anyone for the role.

David Davis, Conservative MP and civil liberties campaigner, said Ms Chakrabarti had been a “remarkable” director of Liberty.

He added: “She arrived there just before 9/11 and government responses around the world since then have been sometimes necessarily, but mostly unnecessarily, antagonistic to individual freedom.

“She has been a doughty fighter in defence of that freedom and very successful. She was very much instrumental in the rejection of ID cards and the control order regimes – perhaps one of the most illiberal policies of any government. She has a formidable track record and will be greatly missed.”

Ms Chakrabarti said of her arrival at Liberty: “I had one day of blue skies thinking when I arrived at Liberty on 10 September 2001.

“The next it was the twin towers attack and counter-terrorism has been one of the dominant themes since then.”

On the Conservative hopes of repealing the Human Rights Act, she said some backbenchers are now realising replacing the act is not a straightforward issue.

“I have spent time with Conservative backbenchers who realise that is not as simple as they thought,” she said. “A lot of people have woken up to the dangers.”

She also said: “When you do a job like mine, you can’t be vainglorious about it. You can ask have you built up the movement? There have been positives.”

The Liberty director has also been outspoken about the refugee crisis, saying: “The rhetoric about refugees is almost worthy of Rwanda in the dark times.

“Do people understand the importance of giving safe haven to refugees? That was something we were supposed to have learnt from the Holocaust.”

“Liberty’s first president, E M Forster, rightly called defending civil liberties ‘the fight that is never done’,” she said.

“I leave Liberty secure in the knowledge that we’re stronger and more ready for that fight than ever.”

Liberty chair, Frances Butler, said: “Under Shami’s transformative leadership, Liberty has greatly extended its expertise, influence and membership.

“Thanks to Shami’s passion and fearlessness and absolute dedication to championing human rights and civil liberties, Liberty’s long-term campaigning effectiveness is secured.”

A possible internal candidate is Isabella Sankey, current director of policy at Liberty.