Rush to pass laws before UK election

LONDON - MPs have dug in for two days of intense debate as the prime minister scrambled to pass pending bills ranging from security measures to gambling laws before parliament dissolves for polls.

By calling a May 5 election, Tony Blair has cut the parliamentary term short, throwing a stack of legislation out of the window and leaving opposition parties to decide the fate of priority bills.

A bill to modernise 40-year-old gambling laws looked set to pass after the government bowed to opposition demands to limit the number of Las Vegas-style supercasinos to just one. It had originally planned 20 or more.

But two bills ministers hoped would help tackle terrorism and curb Muslim extremism looked set to fall, just ahead of the poll where Blair faces a backlash from Muslims over the Iraq war and with analysts warning of a potential terrorist attack.

Blair looks set to win a third term, meaning he can reintroduce bills when parliament resumes in mid-May, but a reduced majority could hamper his plans.

MPs braced for late nights on Wednesday and Thursday in what is called the "wash-up" period after the government said it wanted to pass 16 out of 28 outstanding bills. Debate may continue on Friday before parliament dissolves on Monday.

The government faced defeat over plans for compulsory identity cards - a measure popular with the public that ministers say would help crack down on potential terrorists and tackle abuses of social benefits.

Opposition politicians are also forcing Blair to strip a measure on outlawing religious hatred out of a broader serious and organised crime bill to secure its passage. The bill will set up a British FBI, tackling drug trafficking and fraudsters.

The clause was designed to protect Muslim communities from abuse and intimidation in the wake of rising suspicion following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

"I very much regret that it looks as if we will lose the opportunity to introduce this new offence which would have given considerable comfort to the Muslim community," senior minister Peter Hain told parliament.

Blair's decision to back the war in Iraq angered many Muslim voters and the prime minister needs them on his side more than ever, with the latest polls showing the opposition Conservatives closing the gap on the ruling Labour Party.

The government's 2005 Finance Bill which sets last month's budget into law will pass. But ministers are resigned to losing a consumer credit bill to tackle unscrupulous lenders.

The bill was to create a new "unfair credit test" to make it easier to challenge unfair lending practices in court, demand lenders give better information to their customers, including annual statements, and give watchdog the Office of Fair Trading updated powers to license consumer credit businesses.

- REUTERS