LONDON (AP) - The government's efforts to rush though a tough new anti-terrorism bill ran into a snag Monday when the House of Lords voted against creating a new crime of incitement to religious hatred.
Parliament's upper chamber has already amended several key parts of the Anti-Terrorism, Security and Crime Bill drawn up in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Peers inflicted more damage Monday, voting to throw out plans to make inciting religious hatred a crime. In a further blow to the government, they also voted to subject all measures in the bill to ``sunset clauses'' that would see them lapse within five years.
Opposition peers said the religious hatred clause had no place in a bill aimed at tackling terrorism.
``There are very deep and serious, long-term issues wrapped in the back of these simple little clauses,'' Conservative peer Lord Dixon-Smith said.
Britain has a law against inciting racial hatred. Home Secretary David Blunkett wants to extend that law to include religious hatred, and insists a penalty of up to seven years in jail is necessary to stop ``racists, bigots and hotheads'' attacking minority religious groups in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
Justifying the sunset clauses, Conservative peer Lord Strathclyde said that ``the most far-reaching powers ever seen in peacetime'' should not last indefinitely.
``Only those who see parliamentary scrutiny as an intolerable burden could for a moment view a sunset clause on such emergency powers, and a call for their periodic renewal, as unacceptable,'' he said.
The defeats are the latest in a string of setbacks for the government, which wants the legislation on the books before Christmas.
Last week, peers amended key measures in the bill. They sought to restrict police powers to investigate personal data solely to the pursuit of terrorists and defense of national security, rather than other forms of crime.
They also backed an amendment to allow judicial review of the detention of suspected terrorists.
Opposition peers claim much of the proposed legislation is draconian and infringes civil rights. The bill includes measures to detain terrorist suspects without trial, tighten airport security and freeze suspected terrorists' funds.
Last week's amendments prompted a furious response from the government, which accused peers of ``disemboweling'' the bill and undermining efforts to combat terrorism.
Blunkett has promised to reverse the changes when the bill returns to the House of Commons Wednesday. Although lawmakers in the Commons can override the Lords, the amendments are likely to delay the bill becoming law.