42

Labour rebels yesterday stepped up their campaign against Gordon Brown's plans to allow terrorist suspects to be detained without charge for 42 days by tabling an amendment to a Commons bill to block the change, The Guardian reports:

As Downing Street pledged to press ahead with its counter-terrorism bill, the rebels said they hoped to defeat the government after signing up MPs who voted in favour of Tony Blair's unsuccessful bid to extend to 90 days the period terror suspects could be detained without charge.

David Winnick, one of the main rebels, said: "I believe there is a reasonable chance that the government will be defeated, but I do accept that the government will do everything in its power to try to persuade some of my colleagues to agree on the basis of various concessions."

A bad result in Crewe & Nantwich (where a poll published tomorrow in the News of the World place the Tories eight points ahead of Labour) will no doubt encourage another u-turn from the Prime Minister.