Expanding police power

last updated 8 January 2015

London

Prime Minister Tony Blair won approval for tough new anti-terrorism laws this week, but only after an extraordinary debate in the House of Lords. The new law allows house arrest without trial for terror suspects, a change that some of the Lords said violated rights the British have treasured since the Magna Carta. This is “a rotten, rotten, stinking bill,” said the Earl of Onslow. The unelected House of Lords usually rubber-stamps any legislation passed by the House of Commons. But it sent the anti-terrorism bill back to the lower house four times, and reluctantly approved it only on the condition that it be re-evaluated next year.