Brown denies offering rewards for votes

Gordon Brown has denied offering rewards to MPs for supporting government plans to extend pre-charge detention of terrorist suspects to 42 days.

At the time of the vote last month, it was suggested that DUP members may have been offered a string of inducements including extra financial support for Northern Ireland - a claim denied by the party and the government.

At prime minister's questions on Wednesday, Conservative leader David Cameron referred to a letter from chief whip Geoff Hoon to Labour MP Keith Vaz making reference to him being "appropriately rewarded" for his help.

As chairman of the high-profile Commons home affairs committee, Vaz was a member of the liaison committee questioning Gordon Brown on Thursday morning.

The Leicester East MP asked Brown: "You only got your legislation through by nine votes.

"Is it the case that you authorised or offered any backbench member of Parliament a peerage or a knighthood or honour, or even the governorship of Bermuda, in order to vote for your legislation?"

The prime minister replied: "Not at all. Nor do I recall seeing any letters to anyone."

Vaz also asked if any offers had been made to the Democratic Unionists whose nine votes were decisive in the knife-edge vote.

Brown said: "I think that the criticism of the DUP has been totally misplaced. If there was any party in the House of Commons that knows what terrorism can do and what is its impact on our society, it is the Ulster Unionists."

The Conservative chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, Edward Leigh, later returned to the question, asking Brown to give a "yes or no" answer on whether there were "absolutely no discussions" with the DUP about anything other than the merits of the 42-day proposal.

Brown replied "yes", and said: "We were discussing the issue on its merits and I think you do a great disservice to members of Parliament if you suggest otherwise."