British government Wednesday lost the crucial House of Commons vote on plans to allow police to hold terror suspects without charge for up to 90 days.

Lawmakers rejected the plans by 322 votes to 291 -- a majority of 31, which is the government's first defeat since Labor came to power in 1997.

The defeat will be seen as a blow to the authority of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said lawmakers had a "duty" to support the police.

Later, lawmakers approved a 28-day limit for detention of terror suspects.

The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and some Labor backbenchers said the 90-day plans went too far.

Civil liberties groups compared the proposal to internment -- a charge rejected by ministers.

In his final plea for lawmakers to back the plans, Blair earlier urged lawmakers to take the advice of the police who had foiled two terrorist plots since the 7 July attacks in London.

In heated exchanges at prime minister's questions, Blair said, "We are not living in a police state but we are living in a country that faces a real and serious threat of terrorism."

In a sign of the importance given to the vote, Chancellor Gordon Brown was called back within minutes of arriving in Israel for a high profile visit.

And Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also flew back early from EU- Russia talks in Moscow.

Source: Xinhua