Government set to extend terror detention time limit

Gordon Brown is understood to favour an increase to 56 days from the current limit of 28 days, which ministers argue is too short.

However, members of the all-party Home Affairs Committee are demanding to know if there have actually been any cases where a suspect had to be released because the 28-day limit proved insufficient.

The move came as the Commons began a week-long debate on the Queen's Speech, with crime and terror the first areas to be discussed today.