By KUNA,
London : The British Government will press ahead with plans for 42-day terror detention Monday, despite claims that the measure is already “dead”, it was officially announced here.
The House of Lords is expected to reject the controversial extension by an overwhelming margin when it votes later.
And former main opposition Conservative Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, who resigned as an MP to highlight the threat to civil liberties, said he did not believe Labour backbenchers would support using the Parliament Act to force it through.
“I think it will be dead, he told BBC TV.
“It was something that was profitable for the Government, they thought by having 42 days and us opposing it they would make us look weak and them look strong. “That was when 70 percent (of the public) supported it, now it’s about 30 percent supporting the Government.
“Their own party probably won’t support them in the Parliament Act, so I think it’s probably over, he added.
Labour MP David Winnick also warned that Prime Minister Gordon Brown was risking creating more divisions in his party by “foolishly” pushing ahead with the plan.
Winnick, a leader of the House of Commons rebellion that was dramatically defeated by just nine votes last June, said “It would be far better for the Government to accept the inevitable as far as the House of Lords is concerned and not force a very heavy defeat.
At a time of such economic difficulties and global market crisis what sense is there to do this when we want the Government and party to be united?” The British Home Office has insisted it is determined to give police the “powers they need to tackle terrorism”.
“It is not true that the Counter Terrorism Bill is to be dropped, a Home Office spokesman said.
“The Government is determined to give the police the powers they need to tackle terrorism. That is why it is right and proper to legislate now to put in place the reserve power to go beyond 28 days if in future there is a clear operational need for it.
We will now continue to press for these important measures as the Bill continues its passage through the House of Lords, the spokesman added.