LONDON, England (CNN) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has suffered his first major parliamentary defeat, losing a key vote on new anti-terror laws.
The House of Commons voted 322 to 291 against a measure to allow authorities to hold terror suspects for up to 90 days without charge -- an increase from the current 14 days.
It was the first major vote against the government since Blair and his Labour Party came to power in May 1997.
CNN's European Political Editor Robin Oakley said Blair had invested his full political weight in getting the law passed, adding to the political drama.
A tense Blair was in the chamber to hear the result, shaking his head as the numbers were revealed.
Blair was uncontrite following the defeat, saying he brought the bill to the Commons because police had said they needed the longer detention period. "It was better to lose doing the right thing, than to win doing the wrong thing," he added.
The prime minister had earlier made an impassioned plea for a "yes" vote.
"We are not living in a police state ... but we are living in a country that faces a real and serious threat of terrorism," he told the Commons.
At least 41 members of his own party joined the opposition in Britain's lower house of parliament to reject the measure.
Looks like Tony Blair is now getting into some trouble for aligning himself with the Bush War Machine. There's no doubt that both President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair see eye to eye regarding both the war on terrorism and Iraq. Blair's measure would have given the authorities even greater provisions to hold suspects without charge--just as the Bush administration has been pushing for greater powers in an expanded Patriot Act. The problem here is that both the British and American public may just now be realizing that their civil liberties are being shredded in the name of fighting terrorism. The public knows this war in Iraq was marketed due to the manipulation of faulty intelligence and the hyping of terrorism fears.
How much longer can Tony Blair survive in office before the British public start to turn against him?
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