Britain's labour government on Sunday offered a review within two years of proposed tough and controversial anti-terror legislation in a bid to push it through Parliament by Christmas. Prime Minister Tony Blair is determined to implement the bill, which was drawn up in response to the September 11 attacks on the United States and is aimed at countering the threat of similar atrocities in Britain. But the proposals have met consistent opposition in the House of Lords, Britain's Upper House, which last week rejected measures giving police unprecedented access to personal information.
Civil rights campaigners have also slammed the new legislation which, if passed in full, would sweep aside a centuries-old principle of right to trial by allowing police to detain foreigners purely on suspicion of being involved in terrorism. Home secretary (interior minister) David Blunkett said that it was important the anti-terror measures were not ''sabotaged'' in Parliament, undermining efforts to increase national security after September 11.
Trying to win over opponents, Blunkett said that ministers would take a detailed look within 24 months at how the laws had worked.
''I have decided that to have a review by a committee of privy councillors to report back in two years on the whole of this measure would allow both houses of Parliament to retrospectively comment on its working,'' Blunkett wrote in ‘The Times’ newspaper.
Clearly irritated by the bill's failure to sail through Parliament, blunkett said that he hoped opponents would respond positively to the latest concession.
''This is the act of a listening government and I hope that over the next few days my opponents will do the nation a service of listening too,'' he wrote.
Bureau Report