MI5 'has not asked for 42 days'

BBC
Sunday, June 8, 2008

MI5 has not "directly" asked the government to extend the time limit for holding terror suspects without charge, to 42 days, Jacqui Smith has said.

But the home secretary told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show the security service had been "clear about the growing scale of the threat" to the UK.

She added that she hoped the government would not lose a crucial Commons vote on the issue on Wednesday.

The Conservatives, Lib Dems and up to 30 Labour MPs oppose the plan.

(Article continues below)

'Reasonable maximum'

The opposition parties argue the proposed pre-charge detention limit will infringe civil liberties, but ministers argue it is necessary to deal with increasingly complex terror plots.

Ms Smith said extending the limit for terror suspects from 28 days to 42 days was a "safeguard, not a target", and that it was a "reasonable maximum".

Full article here.

Click here to discuss this story in our forum Yahoo! MyWeb Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Print Email This Page to: