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http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20081013/tuk-lords-throw-out-42-day-bill-dba1618.html
Lords throw out 42-day bill
ITN - 52 mins ago 13th Oct 2008
Gordon Brown has suffered a crushing defeat on extending detention time limits for terror suspects.
The House of Lords overwhelmingly rejected the move to increase the time suspected terrorists can be held without charge from 28 days to 42.
Peers rejected the measure by 309 votes to 118 - a majority of 191 - after an impassioned debate.
The latest bid to extend time limits was rejected by a coalition of Tory and Liberal Democrat peers and Labour rebels.
They backed a move by crossbencher Lord Dear, a former police chief inspector, to bar any extension beyond 28 days in the Counter-Terrorism Bill.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith later announced the 42-day clause will be dropped from the Counter Terrorism Bill and the measure will instead be the subject of a separate piece of legislation to be brought to Parliament if required.
The defeat was the heaviest in the Lords since Mr Brown became Prime Minister in June last year.
Former shadow Home Secretary David Davis, who resigned from the Commons then won a by-election over the issue, said: "It has been clear for sometime that this proposal is based not on national security, but on party politics, and the wise decision now is to let this unwise proposal drop."
Mr Brown's attempt to extend the time limit to 42 days scraped through the Commons by just nine votes in June, despite a rebellion by 36 Labour MPs. The Government had to rely on the votes of Democratic Unionists.
The huge scale of the Lords defeat will make Home Secretary Jacqui Smith wary of trying to force the measure through the Commons again.
Even if she did, there is likely to be a prolonged period of "ping-pong" with peers before Mr Brown would have decide whether to use the Parliament Act to ram the measure through the Lords.
Lords throw out 42-day bill
ITN - 52 mins ago 13th Oct 2008
Gordon Brown has suffered a crushing defeat on extending detention time limits for terror suspects.
The House of Lords overwhelmingly rejected the move to increase the time suspected terrorists can be held without charge from 28 days to 42.
Peers rejected the measure by 309 votes to 118 - a majority of 191 - after an impassioned debate.
The latest bid to extend time limits was rejected by a coalition of Tory and Liberal Democrat peers and Labour rebels.
They backed a move by crossbencher Lord Dear, a former police chief inspector, to bar any extension beyond 28 days in the Counter-Terrorism Bill.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith later announced the 42-day clause will be dropped from the Counter Terrorism Bill and the measure will instead be the subject of a separate piece of legislation to be brought to Parliament if required.
The defeat was the heaviest in the Lords since Mr Brown became Prime Minister in June last year.
Former shadow Home Secretary David Davis, who resigned from the Commons then won a by-election over the issue, said: "It has been clear for sometime that this proposal is based not on national security, but on party politics, and the wise decision now is to let this unwise proposal drop."
Mr Brown's attempt to extend the time limit to 42 days scraped through the Commons by just nine votes in June, despite a rebellion by 36 Labour MPs. The Government had to rely on the votes of Democratic Unionists.
The huge scale of the Lords defeat will make Home Secretary Jacqui Smith wary of trying to force the measure through the Commons again.
Even if she did, there is likely to be a prolonged period of "ping-pong" with peers before Mr Brown would have decide whether to use the Parliament Act to ram the measure through the Lords.
