Clarke tries to rush through anti-terror law

Charles Clarke ran into a wall of opposition today as he rushed out new laws to detain terror suspects without trial.

The Home Secretary faced a stormy confrontation with opposition parties and some of his own Labour MPs.

A Bill published this afternoon gives him emergency powers to restrict movement of terrorist suspects without any charges being laid.

Despite informal talks between the parties last night, both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats said they would oppose this.

There was fury that Mr Clarke intends to try to "ram" the controversial package through Parliament in barely a week. Under normal circumstances-similar laws would be debated over several months.

Mr Clarke tried to win round the Liberal Democrats last night by offering the minor compromise that his decisions would be reviewed by a judge.

But the party's home affairs spokesman, Mark Oaten, said this does not go far enough. "It should not be a politician making the decisions," he said.

Juries should also have a role to guarantee "both the principle of justice and the protection of security", Mr Oaten said.

Conservatives privately accused Mr Clarke of playing politics with the issue, suggesting he wants to make them seem soft on terrorism by voting against the measures.

The tight timetable meant there could not be a proper debate, they said. Such measures need to be considered "very carefully, very deliberately before we meddle with British traditions of freedom and justice", insisted shadow home secretary David Davis.

The control orders on suspects are expected to range from house arrest to curfews, electronic tags or bans on using phones or the internet.

They come after the Government's current powers, under which 11 foreigners are held indefinitely at Belmarsh and other prisons, were ruled unlawful by the Law Lords. Unlike those powers, the new plans would apply to British citizens as well as foreigners.

The Government now says the new laws must be passed before current detention powers end on 14 March or suspects will walk free. But earlier this month Mr Clarke said the existing powers could be temporarily renewed.

Downing Street admitted they were "extreme measures" but insisted they were needed to protect the public.

Mr Clarke is thought willing to introduce in his Bill an automatic right of appeal to a judge for anyone put under house arrest. Those subjected to lesser restrictions are likely to be given the right to request a judicial review.