Minister ordered back from Israel trip for crunch security votes

David Miliband was forced to scrap meetings with Israeli leaders last night to return for the crunch Commons votes on security.

In a sign of Government tension over the prospect of defeat on its Counter Terrorism Bill, the Foreign Secretary was ordered to cut short a Middle East trip.

Ministers fear defeat on any aspect of the Bill could prove terminal for Gordon Brown.
Mr Miliband met Palestinian officials in the West Bank yesterday, but cancelled plans to meet Israeli ministers today.

The Foreign Secretary had been due back in the UK to take part in the crunch vote on 42-day detention without charge tomorrow.

But he will now be present for a series of other votes on the Bill as well. Most contentious of which is a plan to hold inquests without juries.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will be allowed to stop a jury being summoned and even to replace the coroner with her own appointee.

The power, which could also see the public barred from court, would be exercised for the sake of national security or simply because she deemed it in the public interest.

The Tories and the Liberal Democrats will vote against the proposal, but there have been few signs of a major Labour rebellion that would necessitate calling the Foreign Secretary back early from a sensitive trip abroad.

Speaking in Nablus, Mr Miliband said: 'The Foreign Secretary has to put up with many changes to his schedule. There is a vote in which all members of the government are expected to participate.'

Mr Miliband, who had been due to meet with Israel's Premier Ehud Olmert today said he would make 'urgent' plans to return.

Asked if his sudden departure was a sign that the Government is in turmoil, he said: 'Not at all. This is a sign of a government going about its business in a way that governments need to.'

A Labour source said: 'We can't predict with any accuracy how these votes will go so every member of the Government will be expected to be there.'