Time for tougher terror law - Smith - News in brief

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But she admitted to MPs that there had not yet been a case where longer than the current 28 days limit had been required.

Ms Smith told the all-party Home Affairs Select Committee: "In my judgment the time is now right to consider how we go beyond 28 days.

"I accept that there has not been a circumstance in which it has been necessary up to this point to go beyond 28 days.

"But we are making a case on what I believe to be the increasing complexity, the increasing international links, the increasing challenge of the investigation of the plots that are in place."

Opponents argue that increasing the maximum period would risk alienating some Muslims and possibly turn more towards radicalisation.

The original proposal to increase the limit to 90 days led to the Labour Government's first defeat in the Commons in November 2005.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said after Ms Smith's evidence to the committee: "Yet again we see the Home Secretary forced to concede there is no evidence of a need to extend detention without trial beyond 28 days.

"Yet again we are offered only speculation about hypothetical scenarios - for which there already exists perfectly adequate laws, if the Government has the resolve to use them."

Earlier this month, Britain's most senior police officer, Sir Ian Blair, said the detention limit should be extended amid a "mounting" number of plots in the UK. The Scotland Yard Commissioner told the Home Affairs Committee a pre-charge period "somewhere between" 50 and 90 days was needed.