Transcript: David Cameron on Abu Qatada deadline row BBC: The question is did they ask the court (when the deadline was)? The answer to that question is yes? BBC: And did they tell you? PM: I discussed this issue with the Home Secretary and as I say she set out the position in huge detail. BBC: So then what did they tell you in answer to that question? PM: The proven case was this. That the Home Office believed, and checked during the process, that the date expired on Monday night. BBC: The question is what the court told the Home Office. If Theresa May or her people, obviously, asked that question and you say that they did, then what were they told? PM: They were told throughout that the deadline expired on the Monday night. Now this has to be determined by the panel of judges and the panel of judges will make their views clear about whether or not Abu Qatada can appeal. But the key here is was the Government right to try and move as rapidly as possible to remove this man from our country because he has no right to be here and is a threat to our country. I think they were right to move as rapidly as possible. BBC: They got it wrong, they got the date wrong. There was no reason on earth not to wait, had they been told, as you've just been said (sic) the question was asked, and they were told, why on earth could they not have waited another 24 hours? It was because you wanted to make a splash wasn't it? PM: Absolutely not. They wanted, quite rightly, to move as rapidly as possible to remove Abu Qatada from the country. BBC: Yeah but 24 hours after three months. Now he's going to be here for months and months and months. Who knows how long. He may be out of jail this week. PM: The last Government spent eight years trying to remove this man from the country. We've spent two years trying to remove this man from the country. BBC: That's not the point. PM: The point is are we taking the necessary steps. BBC: The answer is you haven't, you've made things worse because he's now going to be here for months and possibly out of jail this week. PM: I don't accept that. We have been having conversations with the Jordanians to try and seek the assurances that we require so he can be taken. That's what the Government is doing. The Home Office was clear about the date, the precedents were checked, and so they acted in my view entirely correctly. BBC: So they shouldn't have simply said, having spoken to the court, the Home Secretary shouldn't have said "right, there's clearly a difference between us and them but they make the decision, it's up to them in the end so we will wait one more day'. Twenty four hours that's all. PM: The Home Office had checked the precedents, was working on the assumption that the date was the Monday night, they acted correctly, they wanted to move swiftly to remove Abu Qatada and I think that was the right thing to do.