Resounding defeat in the House of Lords leaves Brown's 42-day terror detention plans in tatters

Gordon Brown last night dumped plans to extend the controversial detention of terror suspects to 42 days after a humiliating defeat by peers. 

In a major victory for civil liberty campaigners, the Lords rejected the proposals by a massive majority of 191. 

After the vote in the Upper House, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith delivered an emergency statement to the Commons saying the plans would be removed from the Government's Counter-Terrorism Bill.



She told MPs the highly-contentious proposals would live on in the form of 'standby' bill.

In a blistering attack, she told MPs: 'There is no greater liberty than the liberty of individuals not to be blown up on British streets or in British skies.

'I don't believe that it is enough to cross our fingers and hope for the best.'

Pointing at the Tories, she added: 'Some may take the security of Britain lightly. I don't.'

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said he 'profoundly objected' to her accusations that the Tory party was soft on terror.

He added that the new Bill, which was last night drafted at short notice following the Lords defeat, was 'the most bizarre thing I have ever read.'

A powerful coalition of Labour peers had joined forces with Opposition peers to vote down the proposals by 309 votes to 118.

The House of Commons had only narrowly passed the proposals by a majority of just nine in June.

Mr Brown had insisted a 42-day detention period - an extension from the current 28 days - was vital to deal with more complex plots. continues here

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