From AFP, with thanks to Teri and RB:
London: British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government finally pushed a controversial new anti-terror law through parliament on Friday following a two-day, round-the-clock debate, after offering a key concession.
The Prevention of Terrorism Bill was approved by the House of Lords on Friday evening, bringing the curtain down on 31 hours of straight debate in the upper chamber of parliament, one of the longest in its history.
The Lords had repeatedly tried to change the law, which lets terror suspects be subjected to so-called “control orders” including limited house arrest, to make it automatically expire within a year with a so-called “sunset clause.”
Blair said that this would seriously undermine the measure, because it “would send a signal of weakness at the very time we should be sending a signal of strength”.
However, in the end Home Secretary Charles Clarke partly backed down by promising a major parliamentary review of the law in a year, which satisfied opponents.
The compromise, which saw both sides claiming victory — ended one of the most dramatic legislative battles Britain has seen in recent years….