Government is defeated on bugging

The Government suffered a double defeat in the Lords last night after peers decided that "an Englishman's home is his castle" and overturned proposals under the Police Bill which would allow the police to plant surveillance equipment without prior authorisation, writes Fran Abrams.

The defeats came after Labour changed its stance on the Bill following strong opposition which included the legal profession and newspapers on all sides of the political spectrum. Those voting against the Government included 29 Tories, and 10 past and present law lords .

Full report, page 2