Brown counts on nine lives

Jun 12 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

GORDON BROWN saved his premiership last night when he won a knife-edge Commons vote to lock up terror suspects for 42 days without charge – but only after Unionist MPs backed him.

MPs voted by 315 votes to 306 – a majority of just nine – to extend the maximum period of pre-charge detention beyond 28 days where there is a “grave, exceptional terrorist threat”.

The majority of nine exactly matched the nine Democratic Unionist MPs who dramatically swung behind the government at the last minute, after a series of meetings with ministers.

The Ulster MPs lobbied for a £200m deal to retain new water rate revenues, as well as higher civil servant pay and cash for infrastructure projects.

Both sides insisted there had been “no deal”.

Without DUP support, the 36 Labour MPs who rebelled would have defeated their own government – and inflicted a probable mortal blow on Mr Brown's chances of staying in No.10.

In emotional scenes, one furious Tory MP was rebuked for wagging his finger at the Democratic Unionists and shouting: “You were bought!”

One Labour backbencher, Austin Mitchell, who switched to back 42 days at the last minute, said the Prime Minister would have been finished if he had lost, adding: “I did it to save Gordon.”

During frenzied horse-trading to win over Labour rebels, Mr Brown was rumoured to have also agreed a possible £1bn deal to compensate ex-miners with arthritic knees, and to oppose American sanctions on Cuba.

On the eve of the vote, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced compensation for terror suspects held without charge and later released – possibly worth £3,000 a day.

Even so, 36 Labour MPs voted against an amendment to make the 42-day clause “exercisable”, including Peter Kilfoyle (Walton). Bob Wareing (West Derby) – who now sits as an independent – joined the rebels.

Mr Brown’s allies were quick to insist a “win is a win” and the prime minister is bolstered by opinion polls suggesting the public overwhelmingly backs tougher detention laws.

However, the 42-day clause will be heavily defeated in the House of Lords, where prominent Labour peers – including a former Lord Chancellor and Attorney-General – will join forces with the opposition parties.

If the Lords refuses to give way, the Bill could be held up for as long as one year.

Earlier, Conservative leader David Cameron said the Government had failed to make the case for 42 days and warned it would “help the terrorists, rather then hurt them”.

Mr Cameron added: “Isn’t it clear the terrorists want to destroy our freedom and, when we trash our liberties, we do their work for them?”

Mr Brown insisted: “Our first duty is the protection of national security. We fail in our duty if we don’t take preventative measures. We have to take no risks with security.”