Brown bails out Blair in terror suspects battle
GORDON Brown came to the rescue of Tony Blair last night by launching a strong defence of his plans to lock up terror suspects for 90 days without charge.
With the Prime Minister facing a battle to win round rebel MPs, Mr Brown broke a long period of silence by declaring his full support for the controversial antiterror bill measures.
The Chancellor’s 11th hour intervention was reminiscent of the Commons battle over university tuition fees two years ago, when Mr Brown ordered enough backbenchers to narrowly save the Government from defeat.
It threatened to expose where the power really lies at the top of government as Mr Blair’s authority continues to ebb away.
With dozens of Labour MPs remaining bitterly opposed to 90-day detention, which is supported by senior police officers, Mr Blair was pinning his hopes on divisions in the Conservative Party to save the bill.
As many as six MPs – including former minister Ann Widdecombe, frontbencher Bernard Jenkin and leading Eurosceptic Bill Cash – were expected to vote with the Government or abstain rather than back the Tory line of supporting an amendment for 28 days.
It is understood that many more Conservatives have reservations about opposing 90- day detention – although they are not prepared to defy a three-line whip.
The manoeuvres left today’s votes on the Terrorism Bill on a knife edge. MPs will be asked to vote on the 90- day plan, followed by a Labour backbench amendment for 60 days – which is seen as a fallback position for the Government.
The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are backing a separate amendment for 28 days. Mr Brown, who is away in the Middle East for today’s vote, was asked whether he gave full and unequivocal support to the Prime Minister over the bill.
He said: ‘Of course I do, as someone involved directly in the fight against terrorism, at financial level and as a member of the Cabinet.
‘When you have advice from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the head of the Metropolitan Police and those specialists concerned in the detailed work of interviewing and dealing with terrorist suspects, and they are all saying the same thing about the need for the extra time, then you ought to, and will, take that very seriously indeed, as we have done.’
With Conservative whips insisting discipline was holding, there was speculation last night that Mr Blair will struggle to get the 90day measure through. And even if the legislation scrapes through, it is likely to be blocked in three weeks when it is debated in the Lords.
Miss Widdecombe began rumours of Tory dissent by declaring she would abstain or vote with the Government on the anti-terror plans after Home Secretary Charles Clarke promised to put a time limit on the measure. She angrily rejected suggestions that she was helping Mr Blair avoid defeat.
‘This is a very serious issue and is not a suitable subject to play games with – 52 people died in London in July and a couple of weeks later another plot was foiled,’ she said.
‘ I believe something very big will happen in London. I resent any suggestion that this could be made into a party political game.’
However, Tory leader Michael Howard insisted Miss Widdecombe was just ‘ one name’ and urged his MPs to vote down the ‘wholly unacceptable’ move.
‘ There has been no justification whatsoever for 90 days. The Home Secretary has quite rightly said there is nothing crucial about 90 days,’ he told Radio 4’s PM programme.
Mr Howard’s doubts appeared to be underlined by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, who said there was nothing ‘magic’ about the 90 day figure – and he could just as easily have asked for 120.
Speaking to journalists at Westminster he said the threat facing Britain was ‘chilling’.
‘ I have never seen anything like what’s happening at the moment,’ he added. ‘ There are people out there in the UK plotting mass murder without warning.’
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