Tories accept terror bill with time-limited powers

• Conservative agreement in Lords to give government power of house arrest

• Tories want cross-party discussion when powers lapse at end of November

• Survey shows 75% favour acting against terror suspects who break no laws

Key quote

"We are going to get this bill onto the statute book because we believe it is in the national interest" - Prime Minister's official spokesman

Story in full THE government’s controversial Terrorism Bill is set to become law after the Conservatives last night indicated they will allow the measure to pass through the House of Lords in exchange for a time limit on its powers.

The Tory decision to accept the bill with a "sunset clause" will allow the government to invoke powers to put terror suspects under control orders, imposing penalties up to and including house arrest.

But those powers will lapse at the end of November, when the Conservatives want a new, cross-party discussion enacting permanent legislation.

Last night’s move also allows the Tories to emerge from their opposition to the bill without exposing themselves to Labour allegations of being soft on terrorism.

Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, human rights groups, religious leaders and a growing number of Labour MPs have all objected to the proposed law, which would allow ministers, not judges, arbitrarily to curtail the freedom of suspects.

Although the bill narrowly cleared the Commons on Monday night, the government had been facing the prospect of a damaging struggle with the House of Lords, where peers yesterday began to savage the legislation.

Peter Selby, the Anglican Bishop of Worcester delivered a stinging rebuke to the government in the Lords, warning that the enactment of Draconian security measures would be a "victory for terrorism".

Labour does not have a majority in the Lords, and opposition from peers could have meant ministers missed the 14 March deadline for getting a new terrorism law on the statute book.

The Conservatives had objected to the bill’s hasty passage through parliament, and last night said the timetable made attempts to amend it useless.

"We can improve this bill, but we cannot make it a good bill in the time available," David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said last night.

Given the "heightened risk" to the UK over the months around the coming election, Mr Davis said, the Tories are prepared to see the terror laws take effect, but only until the end of November.

After that, an all-party commission would conduct a fundamental review of the terror laws, the Tory amendment says.

The Conservative offer effectively allows both sides to emerge from the power-struggle claiming victory.

Conservative leaders are fearful of being portrayed as soft on terrorism in the run-up to the general election. And despite widespread parliamentary concern over the plans, there is little public sentiment to back those objections.

A YouGov survey on Monday showed 75 per cent believed it may be necessary to take action against suspects who had not committed any offence if the intelligence services had evidence they were planning terrorist acts.

While government officials were last night tight-lipped about the Tory proposal, it is likely to be accepted, not least since the Lords can impose the sunset clause with or without Labour approval.

"We are going to get this bill onto the statute book because we believe it is in the national interest," said the Prime Minister’s official spokesman.