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London: Britain's Gordon Brown narrowly won a parliament vote on Wednesday to extend the time terrorism suspects can be held without charge, in a bitter-sweet victory that brought some relief to an embattled prime minister.
Ministers said common sense had prevailed on an issue of national security but opponents said Brown had scored only a hollow win after a revolt by 36 ruling Labour Party lawmakers forced him to rely on other parties to pass the measure.
The government's majority was slashed to nine from 65.
Defeat would have seriously undermined Brown's dented authority at a time when his poll ratings are at an all-time low and some Labour lawmakers are openly questioning his suitability to lead them into the next general election, due by May 2010.
One Labour lawmaker said he had wanted to keep the pre-charge detention time limit at 28 days, but had switched his vote to extend it to 42 days to "save" the prime minister.
"I support him and I think he would be on his way out if he had been defeated on this," said Labour's Austin Mitchell.
Elections for local councils and a single parliamentary seat in May showed a swing to the opposition Conservative Party that would hand them a landslide if repeated at the next election.
Brown is grappling with an economic slowdown, public anger over rising fuel and food costs, anxiety over a housing market slump and widespread frustration with an 11-year-old government.
The vote coincided with news of a major security breach, adding to the impression of a government in disarray. Secret documents on Iraq and al Qaeda were left on a train by a top intelligence official.
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