At least the Council of Europe will stick up for Human Rights

1.10.07pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 3rd Jun 2008

The Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg, is to write to Gordon Brown this week warning him that the proposal to detain terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge is an "excessive" measure that will put Britain "way out of line" with the rest of Europe and will prove counter-productive.

Brown looks set to press ahead with the scheme regardless. The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith gave a number of concessions to Labour MPs last night at their Parliamentary meeting and the rumours are they were enough to buy off many of those previously opposed.