Longer terror detentions opposed

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A committee of MPs and peers is to oppose Gordon Brown's plans to extend the time terror suspects can be held without charge, the BBC has learned.

The Joint Human Rights committee believes the government has failed to give enough evidence to increase the limit beyond 28 days, it is understood.

Its conclusions, due out next week, are a setback to the prime minister's plans to double detention to 56 days.

A committee source said they were "not convinced" an extension was needed.

The Labour-chaired, cross-party committee is expected to ask Lord Carlile, the government's independent reviewer of terror legislation, to examine in more detail the six cases where suspects have been charged or released after being detained for almost 28 days.

Time 'right'

"We are not yet convinced that the evidence supports extending beyond 28 days," one source told BBC News 24's chief political correspondent James Landale.

Another said the committee had not changed its view since its last report in 2006, which concluded it was "unnecessary" to extend pre-charge detention beyond 28 days.

On Tuesday, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the time was "now right" to reconsider extending detention without charge and that the 28-day limit had already "been pushed".

The government had originally wanted police to be able to hold terror suspects for 90 days without charge - a call which led to Tony Blair's first Commons defeat as prime minister.

A compromise eventually saw the previous 14-day limit extended to 28 days, but a number of ministers have said they still favour a longer detention period.