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The Telegraph、2000年11月20日のBREAKING NEWSより

●原文 　 Internment Bill clears first hurdle

Anti-terrorist measures allowing internment without trial of overseas terrorist suspects have cleared their first hurdle in the House of Commons.

Just four Labour MPs and three Tories - including the two tellers - voted against the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill as it secured a second reading with a massive majority of 453.

However, the size of the Government's majority did not reflect the depth of anger across the House at the Government's decision to push the bill through all its Commons stages in only three days.

One of the rebels, Labour left-winger Brian Sedgemore, branded it "a ragbag of the most coercive measures that the best mandarin minds from the Home Office can produce".

He said: "Not since the panic and hysteria that overcame the British establishment in the aftermath of the French Revolution has this House seen such draconian legislation."

Tory ex-Cabinet minister John Gummer branded parts of the Bill "objectionable and wholly wrong" while his former government colleague Douglas Hogg said the timetabling was "offensive, indeed a scandal".

It was not just habitual critics of the Government who voiced concern - the chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, Jean Corston, said the Bill entailed "a great leap of faith".

Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin said the Tories would "trust" Mr Blunkett and support the Bill, but only because of "exceptional circumstances".

He said his party had "severest reservations" over the part of the bill which created a new offence of incitement to religious hatred.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Simon Hughes said his party was prepared to let the bill have its second reading, but would vote against its third reading unless changes were made in committee.