PLANS by the UK government to change the law and hold terror suspects for up to 42 days were dealt a blow yesterday.
A committee of MPs and peers claimed the revised proposals were illegal as they failed to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights.
This is in spite of a series of amendments proposed earlier this week by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretar
y, in a bid to secure the support of around 50 Labour MPs who have threatened to vote against the government next week.
Yesterday's report, by the joint committee on human rights, describes Ms Smith's amendments – which aim to restrict the ability to detain suspects for 42 days rather than 28 days at present – as "inadequate".
The report says the longer period could be triggered too easily, noting that under the Convention this should happen only when there was a "public emergency threatening the life of the nation".
There was no new judicial protection preventing suspects from arbitrary detention, and the government had failed to provide evidence that the terror threat was growing.
Andrew Dismore MP, the committee chairman, said: "The proposed extension to 42 days would almost certainly not be lawful."
The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "We believe (this] is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights."
The full article contains 221 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
