The British government will seek emergency powers tomorrow permitting the indefinite detention of foreigners suspected of terrorism, its latest move to tighten security after the September 11th attacks on the United States.
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy says he will fight any moves to scrap individuals' right to challenge their detention in the courts.
Mr Kennedy says British Home Secretary David Blunkett's anti-terrorism moves threaten civil liberties. He also criticised the British government for briefing the press before telling MPs.
He told The Sunday Programmeon GMTV: "If you go down this particular route, one of the things we will be absolutely definite about is that you must not scrap the right to the individual to seek a judicial review. David Blunkett is talking about getting rid of that as I understand it...and having some independent commission to which people can appeal.
"But who appoints the independent commission? I suspect the Home Secretary. So that is a serious erosion of civil liberties and one up with which we will not put, he said."
The controversial plan, which involves opting out of part of the European Human Rights Convention, was immediately criticised by a leading human rights advocate.
Mr Blunkett will put an order before parliament tomorrow saying that events following the September 11th attacks are threatening the life of the nation, a home office spokesman said today.
By effectively declaring a state of emergency, he can invoke a clause in European law that allows Britain to opt out of parts of the European Convention on Human Rights - in this case a clause covering the deportation of foreign terrorist suspects.
The order in Parliament is the first stage of a process that will give the opt-out the power of law within weeks, the home office said.
Mr John Wadham, director of rights watchdog Liberty, condemned the plan as a violation of the rule of law and the rights of Britons. "The government is bringing back internment," he told the BBC, "no government should be abandoning the Convention, even in these circumstances."
Article 15 of the convention says that: "In time of war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation, any high contracting party may take measures derogating from its obligations under this Convention."
The home office spokesman said the order being put before Parliament tomorrow will "seek approval for a limited derogation from article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights." Article 5 limits the circumstances under which people can be deprived of their liberty.
Britain's Terrorism Act allows suspects to be held without charge for a maximum of seven days. Mr Blunkett wants powers of indefinite detention of foreigners suspected of involvement in terrorism.
At present, human rights laws mean that foreigners suspected of crimes abroad cannot be detained in Britain if there is no immediate prospect of their being sent back to their country of origin.
Britain's appeals process against deportation often takes years, so suspects are allowed to remain at large. It is also hard to send suspects back to their own country if there are fears about their treatment there.
"The Convention says you can't remove anybody, no matter who they are or what they're suspected or even convicted of, if they would face torture or inhuman or degrading treatment when you send them back to their country of origin," the spokesman said.
"Soon, if someone is wanted on terrorism charges, and they're a foreign national but they can't be removed to their country of origin and there's no immediate prospect of their removal, then we will have powers to detain them," he said.
The home office said a change in the law would not deprive detainees of all their rights. "There is an appeal process," the spokesman said.
Some of those suspected of involvement in the September 11th attacks in the US spent time studying or working in Britain during the 1990s.
PA