THE three major parties were accused yesterday of striking a deal in private after they nudged through emergency legislation allowing security services even more access to snoop on the public.

The government has claimed that urgent measures are required after a European Court of Justice ruling raised the prospect that communications companies could start deleting material including mobile phone and internet data.

Home Secretary Theresa May claimed that the Data Retention and Investigatory Power Bill would not introduce the so-called snoopers’ charter as there was no coalition agreement on the issue.

But she said the Bill, which will be debated in an extended Commons sitting on Tuesday, would place measures already in use on a clear legal basis.

Ms May said in a Commons statement: “This legislation will merely maintain the status quo — it will not tackle the wider problem of declining communications data capability, to which we must return in the next Parliament.

“But it will ensure, for now at least, the police and other law enforcement agencies can investigate at least some of the criminality that is planned and takes place online.

“Without this legislation, we face the prospect of losing access to this data overnight with the consequence police investigations will suddenly go dark and criminals will escape justice. We cannot allow that to happen.”

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said Labour would support the emergency legislation but warned the “lateness” of the Bill meant the agreed safeguards would be vital.

Civil rights group Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti said: “The government said it was only plugging loopholes but its existing blanket surveillance practice has been found unlawful. 

“We are told this is a paedophile and jihadi ‘emergency,’ but the court judgement they seek to ignore was handed down over three months ago and this isn’t snooping on suspects but on everyone.

“We are promised greater scrutiny and debate but not until 2016, as it seems that all three party leaders have done a deal in private. 

“No privacy for us and no scrutiny for them.”

The Bill will mean firms can retain data for 12 months. It is due to go before the Commons on Tuesday and expected to be passed by both houses by the end of the week.