Terror bill back in the Lords
The Government’s controversial anti-terror bill is back in the House of Lords today after MPs threw out a number of the Lords amendments.
Government concessions on the level of judicial involvement in control orders and the promise of an annual review of the powers persuaded a number of rebel Labour MPs to back the bill.
MPs voted by 348 to 240 in favour of judicial involvement in all control orders, not just the most extreme house arrest orders.
But they rejected the Lords attempt to increase the burden of proof required for control orders to be issued from ‘reasonable suspicion’ to the ‘balance of probabilities’ by 340 to 251, a majority of 89.
They also rejected plans for a ‘sunset clause’, which would have seen the powers expire on November 30.
The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are likely to push for further concessions to be reinstated in the Lords, potentially setting up a show-down between the two houses.
The current anti-terror laws expire on March 14 and the Government is keen to get new laws on the stature book before then.
