UK: THE BRITISH Conservative Party appears increasingly confident that a defeat today in the House of Lords will kill off the British government's controversial plan to allow the 42-day detention of some terrorist suspects, writes Frank Millar, London Editor
Former Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis says he expects to see "a huge majority" against the measure when peers debate it later today. He is also predicting that, with only minority public support now for the anti-terrorist measure, prime minister Gordon Brown will abandon plans to use the Parliament Act to force it into law.
The plan to extend the present 28-day detention limit in some emergency circumstances only made it though the House of Commons with the backing of the DUP's nine MPs.
Mr Davis calculates, however, that internal Labour opposition to using the Parliament Act to over-rule any decision of the Lords will see Mr Brown finally accept defeat.
"It was something that was profitable for government - they thought by having 42 days and us opposing it they would make us look weak and them look strong," Mr Davis told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. But, he added: "That was when 70 per cent supported it; now it's about 30 per cent supporting the government. Their own party probably won't support them in [ using] the Parliament Act, so I think it's probably over."
Mr Davis's successor as shadow home secretary, Dominic Grieve, also reflected the widespread suspicion that Mr Brown's own "political calculations" might have altered and that - just as his reputation shows some sign of recovery as a result of the economic crisis - the prime minister may no longer regard 42 days as quite so "indispensable" to his national security strategy.
Responding to indications from Number 10 that Mr Brown might not rely on the Parliament Act to force the issue, Mr Grieve, writing in the Sunday Telegraph, said: "This whole sorry episode should serve as a warning. A measure that was held out as utterly indispensable by Gordon Brown and Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, only a few months ago - 'the right way to protect national security', wrote the prime minister in June - looks set to fall by the wayside."
Noting no change in the threat level assessment since, Mr Grieve went on: "So what has changed since Gordon Brown staked his leadership and authority on the 42-days vote? The only credible explanation is that Gordon Brown's political calculations have altered. That is the wrong way to approach national security."
Mr Brown's spokesman has repeatedly denied any planned climbdown on the issue, although it was reported last week that Labour's new leader in the Lords, Baroness Royall, had been asked by colleagues to urge the government to abandon the proposal ahead of likely defeat there.