This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7654102.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
No 10 plays down 42-day 'rethink' No 10 'to push ahead on 42-days'
(about 4 hours later)
Downing Street has played down reports it may shelve plans - ahead of a House of Lords vote - to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge. Downing Street insists it is pushing ahead with attempts to extend terror detention without charge to 42 days.
Sources say Gordon Brown's view of the Counter Terrorism Bill is "unchanged". Gordon Brown's official spokesman said the prime minister believed pushing ahead was the "right thing to do".
But The Times says that he has decided against using the Parliament Act to force it onto the statute books if the House of Lords vote against it. The BBC understands that ministers have warned the PM it would be "politically suicidal" to try to force the measure through against the wishes of peers.
The proposal scraped through the Commons in June by 315 votes to 306 and is expected to be defeated by peers. No 10 declined to answer "hypothetical" questions about whether the measure would be dropped if peers reject it.
The plan scraped through the Commons and is due before the Lords next week, where it is expected to be defeated.
Governments can use the Parliament Act to force through measures even if the House of Lords reject them - but it is a controversial, time-consuming and rarely used process.
The Times reported on Monday that the government had decided against using the Parliament Act to force it through.
Downing Street insists it will not shelve plans to extend the detention limit to 42 days, which was opposed by the Conservatives, Lib Dems and some Labour MPs.
They have also warned him that to use the Parliament Act to drive the bill through would be politically suicidal Nick Robinson BBC political editor Read Nick's thoughts in full
The proposal squeezed through the Commons in June by 315 votes to 306, despite a rebellion by 36 Labour MPs, after nine DUP MPs backed the government. Gordon Brown denied opposition claims they had effectively been bought off with inducements.
Several amendments were made before the Commons vote to win over Labour MPs.
Andy Hayman, former head of anti-terrorism operations at the Met, said they included "immensely complicated clauses" that made the bill unworkable.
While he supported extending terrorism detentions, he told the Times: "The government's current proposals are not fit for purpose. They are bureaucratic, convoluted and unworkable."
Former MI5 head Baroness Manningham-Buller also criticised the plan for not being "in any way workable" during her maiden speech in the House of Lords in July.
And last week Europe's human rights body expressed concerns and said suspects should be taken to prison after 14 days, as police cells were not suitable for longer detention.
The government argues that there may be occasions when a suspect has to be held for longer than 28 days before a charge can be brought, because of the increasing complexity and scale of the terrorist threat.