Government in terror retreat

Charles Clarke began a chaotic tactical retreat on the anti-terror Bill today by making three new concessions to rebel peers.

The Home Secretary promised to give judges a bigger role, to review all the emergency measures annually and to introduce checks that control orders detaining suspects without trial are only issued where normal prosecution is impossible.

But his olive branch was immediately rejected by rebel Labour peers. Lord Borrie said: "Unless significant concessions are made, the Bill will be lost."

The Prevention of Terrorism Bill was left in tatters by a series of huge rebellions in the House of Lords last night. In the worst defeat, a Tory call for a "sunset clause" was passed by a margin of almost three to one.

The amendment, which would make the laws expire after eight months, was a personal setback for Tony Blair, who threw the proposal back into Tory leader Michael Howard's face in the Commons a week ago.

The stand-off between the Government and the crossparty opponents looked set to go to the wire. Mr Clarke appeared determined to engineer-a full-scale clash between the Commons and Lords in the hope that peers who have inflicted almost a dozen serious changes to the emergency Bill would back down.

Sources close to the minister said Labour whips were confident that last week's Commons revolt would not be repeated on the same scale. "If the Commons rallies behind the Bill, the Lords will have to give in," said the insider.

But some peers said the scale of the Government's defeats last night gave them "moral authority" to defy the elected House. A total of 24 Labour peers defied the whip - four more than on Monday - including the Prime Minister's old mentor, former Lord Chancellor Lord Irvine.