MPs reject Blair terror plan
2005-11-09 19:09
London - British Prime Minister Tony Blair lost a crucial parliamentary vote on sweeping anti-terror legislation on Wednesday, the first major defeat of his premiership and a serious blow to his authority.
MPs blocked plans to detain terror suspects for 90 days without charge by 322 votes to 291, a majority of 31 against the government.
The house of commons was scheduled to vote later on Wednesday on whether the detention period should instead be 28 days or 60 days - options favoured by opposition parties and rebels in Blair's Labour Party.
The vote is humiliating for Blair, who put his authority on the line.
The prime minister took a major political gamble in refusing to back down on the plan, and called in every supporter to shore up numbers.
Treasury chief Gordon Brown was called back from an official visit to Israel, only two hours after arriving in the country.
Blair also ordered foreign secretary Jack Straw to cut short an official EU visit to Russia, while Labour Party chair Ian McCartney, who is recuperating from heart surgery, volunteered to return to work for the vote.
The current maximum detention period for terror suspects without charge is 14 days and critics argued that extending it to 90 days would erode civil rights.
The result raises serious question about Blair's grip on power.
His popularity slumped due to the unpopular war in Iraq, and some Labour MPs now regard Blair as an electoral liability.
The Terrorism Bill was drafted in the wake of the July attacks on London's transit system.
- AP