Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe carried out her threat to defy her party leader and last night helped the Prime Minister win a crucial vote on the 42 day terror laws with a majority of jut nine.

The Maidstone and the Weald MP was the only Tory to back the Government. Thirty six rebel Labour MPs voted against the scheme.

Miss Widdecomeb said before the vote:

"In an emergency, and terrorism is an emergency, it has always been the case that civil rights sometimes have to take second place to civil safety."

She added: "I believe that in any emergency the government has the right to ask Parliament for special powers, we did after all over Northern Ireland.

"But of course it's important those special powers are renewable."