Blair wins terror vote

TONY Blair today narrowly won a crucial Commons vote on anti-terror laws after accusing the Opposition of trying to "dilute and weaken" them.
Despite a backbench rebellion, cutting the Government’s majority to 38, MPs voted by 315 votes to 277 to overturn a Lords defeat striking out Government proposals outlawing glorification of terrorism
The result - after three testing days for ministers with key votes on ID cards and smoking - will come as a huge relief for the Prime Minister.
Earlier, at a stormy question time, he warned that to take out references to "glorification" in the Terrorism Bill would send out a "massively counter-productive signal".
Mr Blair said: "People outside will infer that we have decided to dilute our law at the very moment when we should be strengthening it and sending a united signal that we aren't going to tolerate those who glorify terrorism in our country."
William Hague, standing in for Tory leader David Cameron, branded the move "ineffective authoritarianism" and accused Mr Blair of "posturing" on the issue when he could have cross-party agreement.
"Wouldn't it be better to have a watertight law designed to catch the guilty, rather than a press release law designed to catch the headlines," he said, to Tory cheers.
When the issue was last debated in the Commons, during the committee stage of the Terrorism Bill, the Government's majority was cut to just one, as 31 Labour MPs rebelled.
Today the number of rebels was put at 17, including Clare Short, Kate Hoey, Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn.
At the start of a three-hour debate on the issue, Home Secretary Charles Clarke rammed home the Government's message that it would not compromise on the use of the word "glorification".
He said he wanted to send a clear message to all those recruiting terrorists, adding that all MPs had a duty to protect the people theyrepresent.
He told the Commons: "It is the glorification of terror which in the view of the Government is an essential method for those individuals and organisations who pursue terrorist ambitions and seek to get individuals, like the 7/7 bombers, to commit to their suicidal and destructive ends."
The Government drew up the glorification proposal as part of a package to clamp down on "preachers of hate".
Shadow attorney general Dominic Grieve accused ministers of simply closing their ears and eyes to the case put to them and warned: "The House is in danger of passing law that's unworkable.
"Glorification is not clear, precise or adequately defined. By plucking this concept out of the air, the Government is going to cause itself and the courts great difficulties.
"Glorification has no place and should have no place in our law. It isincapable of proper interpretation .... and risks criminalising those theGovernment does not intend to criminalise. It is, frankly, as a concept,rubbish."
And there were fears the law risked criminalising people engaged in legitimate debate on world affairs.
Leading Labour rebel Bob Marshall-Andrews (Medway) said the Bill was "unnecessary and at worst mischievous".
He said that, as a prosecuting criminal lawyer, he could not think of anexample in which glorification coupled with an encouragement to emulate would not be caught under current legislation
And Tory former Home Office Minister Ann Widdecombe was sceptical that the Terrorism Bill would be implemented in the spirit intended.
Liberal Democrat acting leader Sir Menzies Campbell said the new offence would do nothing to tackle the terrorist threat.
"The purpose of passing legislation is not to 'send a message', as the Prime Minister seems to argue. It is to change the law," he said.
"This new offence is an unwelcome and unnecessary distraction. The present laws are perfectly adequate to deal effectively with crimes of incitement.
"The law on glorification may well have unwelcome implications for freedom of speech, but it will do nothing to improve public safety."