LONDON, Nov 21: Britain’s spy chief briefed lawmakers scrutinizing Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s faltering plans to tighten terror laws on Wednesday, before the publication of a crucial report on the proposals.

Brown hopes to increase the time suspected terrorists can be held by police before they must be charged or released from 28 days to around 58 days.

Officials claimed opposition lawmakers and some human rights groups – long opposed to any hardening of the laws – now accepted that police need more time to scour computers and chase leads across continents before being required to either charge suspected terrorists or free them.

But the human rights group Liberty, which was cited by Brown’s office as being in favour of the plans, angrily denied there is any consensus.—AP