LONDON (AP) -- Britain's emergency anti-terrorism legislation became law early Friday after a bruising parliamentary contest that forced Prime Minister Tony Blair's government to accept a compromise that cut one provision and amended several others.
After days of debate that weighed the needs of greater security against the preservation of civil liberties, Home Secretary David Blunkett announced the deal in the House of Commons late Thursday.
The bill, which includes powers to jail foreign terrorist suspects without trial, finally passed both houses shortly after midnight and was signed into law by Queen Elizabeth II.
Government minister Lord Rooker summed up in the House of Lords after the last obstacles were overcome.
"It's a long and complicated bill, but the central issue is a very, very simple one -- to take some moderate precautions in our legal framework for dealing with the terrorists rewriting their rulebook on Sept. 11."
Blunkett had been determined to get the legislation, drawn up in response to the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, through Parliament by Christmas and, using the government's large majority, pushed it speedily through the House of Commons last week.
But the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill hit a wall of opposition in the Lords, the unelected upper chamber of Parliament, which has power to delay and amend legislation. The government has no majority in the Lords, and opposition peers said the bill was too tough and infringed on civil rights.
So the Lords and the Commons batted the bill back and forth, amending it, overturning amendments and slowly making compromises.
The government finally agreed to limit new powers for the police and security services to examine confidential records, and made provision for appeals for suspected overseas terrorist interned without trial.
The government had previously ruled out judicial review in such cases, arguing that could lead to disclosure of sensitive security information.
The Home Office did not give way to the Lords on extending the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense and British Transport police forces.
Both sides compromised over a "sunset" clause that the Lords wanted to specify a limit to the life of the anti-terrorist legislation. Instead, a committee will review it within two years and its report will be debated by Parliament.
The government abandoned altogether a contentious provision that created a new offense of incitement to religious hatred. The Lords decided such a provision should be debated separately and not be included in anti-terrorism legislation.
After days of debate that weighed the needs of greater security against the preservation of civil liberties, Home Secretary David Blunkett announced the deal in the House of Commons late Thursday.
The bill, which includes powers to jail foreign terrorist suspects without trial, finally passed both houses shortly after midnight and was signed into law by Queen Elizabeth II.
Government minister Lord Rooker summed up in the House of Lords after the last obstacles were overcome.
"It's a long and complicated bill, but the central issue is a very, very simple one -- to take some moderate precautions in our legal framework for dealing with the terrorists rewriting their rulebook on Sept. 11."
Blunkett had been determined to get the legislation, drawn up in response to the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, through Parliament by Christmas and, using the government's large majority, pushed it speedily through the House of Commons last week.
But the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill hit a wall of opposition in the Lords, the unelected upper chamber of Parliament, which has power to delay and amend legislation. The government has no majority in the Lords, and opposition peers said the bill was too tough and infringed on civil rights.
So the Lords and the Commons batted the bill back and forth, amending it, overturning amendments and slowly making compromises.
The government finally agreed to limit new powers for the police and security services to examine confidential records, and made provision for appeals for suspected overseas terrorist interned without trial.
The government had previously ruled out judicial review in such cases, arguing that could lead to disclosure of sensitive security information.
The Home Office did not give way to the Lords on extending the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense and British Transport police forces.
Both sides compromised over a "sunset" clause that the Lords wanted to specify a limit to the life of the anti-terrorist legislation. Instead, a committee will review it within two years and its report will be debated by Parliament.
The government abandoned altogether a contentious provision that created a new offense of incitement to religious hatred. The Lords decided such a provision should be debated separately and not be included in anti-terrorism legislation.
