2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election would extend the legal detention of terror suspects without charge to a maximum of 42 days. Explaining his actions, Davis stated he intended to spark a wider public debate about the perceived erosion of civil liberties by the then Labour government, which in the following week was launched as the 'David Davis for Freedom campaign'. Culture Secretary Andy Burnham called on Davis to fund the cost of the by-election to the taxpayer, estimated at £80,000, from his own pocket. Davis had held the seat as a Conservative since its creation in 1997, having previously been MP since 1987 for the
George Hargreaves (politician) Parliament election. Hargreaves also founded the Welsh Christian Party to contest the National Assembly for Wales election, 2007. Hargreaves stood for the Christian Party at the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008, where he asked the Haltemprice and Howden electorate to use their vote to demand a referendum on the European Union, which he believes to be "the greatest threat to our civil liberties". In August 2008, Hargreaves fronted the Channel 4 programme "Make Me a Christian". He had planned to stand in the Western Isles in the 2010 general election, but withdrew his candidacy in February 2010 after his wife's