[1] On 13 June 2008, MP David Davis resigned from the House of Commons in protest against the decision to extend detention without charge for possible terrorist offences to 42 days, stating that this was an abuse of anti-terror measures.
A week later Mark Ross of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust contacted Stuart Weir from the Democratic Audit, Anthony Barnett from openDemocracy's OurKingdom and Peter Facey from Unlock Democracy, and suggested they organize a major public meeting and news coverage about the issue Davis raised.
It was sponsored by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, openDemocracy, Liberty (UK), NO2ID, and The Guardian.
In February 2009, the Convention organised the largest civil liberties gathering ever held in the UK, with meetings of journalists, lawyers, politicians, and campaigners.
Speakers included Shami Chakrabarti, Marina Warner, Fatima Bhutto, Timothy Garton Ash, Clive Stafford Smith, Helena Kennedy, and Joanne Cash.