Eliza Manningham-Buller, former MI5 chief, savages 42-day detention plan

By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former head of MI5, has dealt a huge blow to Gordon Brown's plans to extend the detention of terrorist suspects to 42 days. Have Your Say: Would you feel safer with a 42-day limit? Making her first speech as a member of the House of Lords, the former security chief said the Government's plans were wrong in principle and in practice. She spoke as the Government's controversial Counter-Terrorism Bill, narrowly approved by the Commons last month, reached the House of Lords, where a string of eminent peers lined up to savage the 42-day proposal. The Bill would extend the period of time the police can hold terror suspects without charge to six weeks, up from the current limit of 28 days. Ministers and some police chiefs say the new powers are needed to keep... [read full story]