British Government faces 42-day detention vote

UN: Britain’s upper house of parliament will vote on Monday on the government’s plans to allow police to detain terrorism suspects for up to six weeks without charge.

The government has pledged to press for the changes despite media reports saying the Counter Terrorism Bill will be dropped in the face of opposition from the House of Lords.

The House of Lords cannot kill the legislation, but can embarrass the government by delaying its passage. The government could invoke the Parliament Act to force it through.

The bill has been criticised by many high-profile peers, including former intelligence chief Eliza Manningham-Buller.

She said in her Lords maiden speech in July that she “didn’t see on a practical basis as well as a principled one that these proposals are (in) any way workable”.

The Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats oppose the legislation that would extend the period of detention from the current 28-day limit to 42 days. Former Opposition Home Secretary David Davis told BBC television on Sunday he thought the bill would be thrown out.

The government narrowly won a House of Commons vote in June, saying the extension may be needed by police in the event of a “very grave and exceptional terrorist threat”.

Critics say the bill is draconian and an affront to civil liberties.

London, Monday, Reuters