UK govt drops 42-day detention plans

After a crushing defeat in the UK’s upper house of parliament, the government has been forced to drop plans to hold terrorism suspects for up to 42 days without charge.

The House of Lords voted by a massive majority against extending pre-charge detention from the current 28 days.

The controversial measure, included in a counter-terrorism bill, only scraped through parliament’s lower chamber last June.

Despite its rejection by the Lords, the government says the 42-day plan could still be introduced as a separate piece of legislation if the need arises in the future.

Opponents, including many of the government’s own MPs, argued that the bill violated civil liberties and current rules were adequate.

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