Labour's terror bill hangs in balance (Roundup)

By Rich Bowden, M&C Staff Writer Jan 24, 2008, 11:55 GMT

(FILE) British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith departs 10 Downing Street following Prime Minister Gordon Brown\'s first cabinet meeting in London, 28 June 2007. EPA/ANDY RAIN

(M&C) - The future of the government's contentious terror legislation, which would see the detention period for terror suspects increased to 42 days without charge, hangs in the balance, Government whips have warned.

They have told the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith that she must do more to convince backbenchers of the validity of the argument for increasing the detention time from the current 28 days. A similar bill aimed at increasing the period to 90 days under former Prime Minister Tony Blair, ended in defeat.

Ms Smith began her media campaign in support of the bill by saying to the BBC there  there was "a consensus that we face a serious threat from terrorism".

She added: "It's growing in scale. It's becoming more complicated in nature. People need to intervene earlier because of the way in which it aims to cause mass casualties with no warning."

She also said that "there may come a time in the future where having to release somebody at 28 days in a very complex investigation might mean that you are not able to go forward and charge them and bring them to prosecution".

Home Office security minister, Tony McNulty, in an attempt to alert MPs of the need for the bill said it was necessary because Britain could face "two or three 9/11s" in a single day.

However Shami Chakrabarti of the pressure group Liberty, said last night the government was failing to make headway: "Backbencher after backbencher is saying that the government is losing the argument and they have seen no new evidence for going beyond 28 days."