John Major: 42-day detention is just scaremongering

Gordon Brown is poised to make fresh concessions to avoid a damaging defeat over plans to detain terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge.

The Prime Minister is understood to need a handful of Labour MPs to change their mind to get the Commons to back the measure in the Counter Terrorism Bill.

Ministers are believed to be drawing up new amendments to win over wavering backbenchers, including at least one Muslim MP  -  but rebel leaders are stepping up their campaign.

Former health secretary Frank Dobson is circulating a letter to backbenchers urging them not to bow to pressure and vote with the Government-"out of loyalty". He wrote: "My personal thought is that the last time colleagues did that was over the invasion of Iraq."

Glasgow Central Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar is due to meet Home Secretary Jacqui Smith on Monday to discuss his "reservations" and expects further changes to the Bill. He said: "I'm still flexible on this issue." Justice Secretary Jack Straw, chief whip Geoff Hoon and whip Sadiq Khan are understood to have played key roles in shaping the amendments.

Despite rumours that Mr Khan, MP for Tooting, would vote against the Bill, he said: "I welcome the progress made over the last week. I will definitely be voting for the Government."

Downing Street left the door open for further restrictions on the 42-day proposal by saying the "big changes" had already been made. Mr Brown also rejected an attack by Sir John Major on the Government's case for 42 days.

Writing in The Times, the former prime minister said: "If we are seen to defend our own values in a manner that does violence to them, then we run the risk of losing those values.

'Even worse, if our own standards fall, it will serve to recruit terrorists more effectively than their own propaganda.

'The Government has introduced measures to protect against terrorism. These go beyond anything contemplated when Britain faced far more regular  -  and no less violent  -  assaults from the IRA. The justification of these has sometimes come close to scaremongering."

No 10 said the terror threat had changed since the IRA campaigns and there were now suicide bombers and far more complex plots using more computers and covering several countries.

More than 30 Labour MPs are expected to vote against the Government, with up to 12 to abstaining, and ministers have yet to clinch a deal with the DUP allowing them to win the vote.

On trial: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged September 11 mastermind, is seen shortly after his capture during a raid in Pakistan 2003

Downing Street left the door open for further restrictions on the 42-day proposal by saying the "big changes" had already been made. Mr Brown also rejected an attack by Sir John Major on the Government's case for 42 days.

Writing in The Times, the former prime minister said: "If we are seen to defend our own values in a manner that does violence to them, then we run the risk of losing those values.

Even worse, if our own standards fall, it will serve to recruit terrorists more effectively than their own propaganda.

"The Government has introduced measures to protect against terrorism. These go beyond anything contemplated when Britain faced far more regular  -  and no less violent  -  assaults from the IRA. The justification of these has sometimes come close to scaremongering."

No 10 said the terror threat had changed since the IRA campaigns and there were now suicide bombers and far more complex plots using more computers and covering several countries.

More than 30 Labour MPs are expected to vote against the Government, with up to 12 to abstaining, and ministers have yet to clinch a deal with the DUP allowing them to win the vote.