THE British government renewed the Prevention of Terrorism Act last night for another year, despite 23 Labour MPs defying their party leadership by voting against it in the Commons.
With the Labour leadership instructing the party to abstain for the first time in 13 years, the PTA was renewed by 222 votes to 26, a government majority of 196. Three SDLP members voted against.
The British Home Secretary, Mr Michael Howard, derided the Labour Party's new stance, describing it as "indecision" and calling for unanimous support of the Act to ensure that the public was protected from terrorism.
"Abstention isn't enough. Indecision won't do. Governments cannot shrink from deciding whether to take measures necessary to protect the public from terrorism. We continue to need the emergency powers contained in the Act," he argued.
The shadow home secretary Mr Jack Straw - who angered many party backbenchers by announcing during a television interview last month that Labour had now decided to abstain - explained the party's new stance by saying: "Last year we opposed the Act's renewal because the government had not agreed to hold a general and comprehensive review of this legislation. I regret that it has taken so long for the review which we sought to be announced and for the foundations which that should provide for bipartisan agreement.
"But the review we sought has now been announced and it follows directly . . . that we should not vote against the orders."
Mr Straw's explanation was challenged by all the political parties in the House. The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, said all previous reviews of the PTA had always been ignored by the government, while the former shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Mr Kevin McNamara, who voted against the Act, accused Mr Straw of "standing logic on its head" by arguing that the party should now abstain when there had been a breakdown in the ceasefire.