DRACONIAN new anti-terror laws were in chaos last night after the Government caved in over proposals to hold suspects without charge for up to 90 days.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke was forced to agree to "urgent discussions to reach a consensus" to avoid possible defeat at the hands of rebel Labour backbenchers.
The rebels had proposed a maximum detention period of 28 days - already a doubling of the current 14-day maximum before a charge is laid.
Mr Clarke declined to suggest a new maximum, but was warned by one Labour rebel that anything less than a significant cut from 90 days would be "completely unacceptable".
Earlier, Mr Blair's majority was slashed to just one on a separate amendment to limit prosecutions for glorifying terrorism to cases where there is clear "intent".
A total of 33 Labour backbenchers voted with the Tories and the Liberal Democrats, in the biggest revolt since last May's General Election.
Labour whips were accused of stationing themselves at the doors of the voting lobbies to strong-arm other potential rebels.
The narrowest possible margin of victory increases pressure on Mr Clarke to compromise further before the Bill returns to the Commons next week.
The climbdown is another major embarrassment for the Prime Minister, who had insisted 90-day detention was necessary to fight the threat of further terrorist outrages.
At Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Blair had urged MPs to "think very carefully" before voting down measures he said had been demanded by anti-terrorist police.
But speaker after speaker insisted the case for 90-day detention had not been made and warned of the danger of antagonising Muslims, possibly creating future terrorists.
David Heath, the Lib Dem spokesman, said locking people up without charge was "not the British way" and warned 90-day detention would represent at least a partial victory for the terrorists.
Faced with defeat, Mr Clarke offered all-party talks to reach agreement on a maximum detention period before the Terrorism Bill reaches its report stage next Wednesday.
Mr Clarke said: "My view is that we ought to seek consensus because we need the strength of a consensus decision.
"My proposal is that we engage in urgent discussion with colleagues on all sides of the House to see if we can reach consensus on a figure beyond 14 days."
The proposed offence of "glorifying" terrorism has raised alarm because of fears that opponents of foreign regimes will be prosecuted - the so-called Nelson Mandela test.
The Government wants people to be prosecuted if they know, or have reasonable grounds for believing, that their words will encourage terrorism.
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