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Following the High Court decision that the maximum time that a person can be held in police detention is 96 hours, including time spent on police bail (unless there is new evidence justifying further arrest), and the Government plan to introduce emergency legislation to reverse the decision, the Supreme Court has issued the following ruling:

“On 30 June 2011 the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom granted permission to appeal in this case and the appeal will be heard on 25 July by Lords Phillips, Brown, Clarke, Dyson and Wilson.

“On 4 July the Government announced that it would introduce emergency legislation on 7 July “to reverse” the judgment given by the High Court.

“On 1 July, the appellants, Greater Manchester Police, filed an application inviting the Supreme Court to stay the effect of the High Court’s judgment.

“This application is unusual and it is questionable whether it would be open to the Court to grant this relief. In any event, however, the judgment was given on 19 May and an application for permission to appeal was made on 21 June. The Government has announced its intention to introduce emergency legislation this Thursday, 7 July. In these circumstances, the Court has decided that the application should be dismissed.

“The full appeal will be heard on Monday 25 July.”

Update: Emergency legislation has now been introduced. Bill documents and parliamentary debates can be found here; the Bill and Explanatory Notes can be found here and here; and the relevant House of Commons’ Research paper, here.