Smith drops 42 days plan after Lords defeat

The home secretary has announced that plans to extend the maximum period of pre-charge detention for terrorism suspects are to be dropped.

Jacqui Smith made the dramatic announcement to MPs on Monday night after the proposal in the Counter-Terrorism Bill was defeated in the Lords by 309 votes to 118.

Ministers decided against seeking to push through the law using the Parliament Act in the wake of the 191-vote defeat by peers, having only secured support in the Commons by nine votes in June.

The government will instead prepare emergency legislation containing the clause to raise the limit from 28 to 42 days to be used should circumstances require it.

However, blaming Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition, Smith argued that it would have been better to have the measure on the statute book now.

"I deeply regret that some have been prepared to ignore the terrorist threat, for fear of taking a tough but necessary decision," she said in a statement.

"My priority remains the protection of the British people," the minister added.

"I don't believe as some honourable members clearly do that it's enough to simply cross our fingers and hope for the best. That is not good enough."

But shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said that the Conservatives were "perfectly prepared to be firm on terrorism" and pass difficult bills.

"But they have to be credible, they have to be based on evidence and they must not be put forward in a way that smacks of mere political posturing and gimmicks," he said.

And Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said the government had "comprehensively lost the argument" and was now in "humiliating retreat".