42. It may be the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but it’s not the answer to this. And the Lords have voted it down by 309 to 118.

Now the government have been forced to remove the clause from the Counter-Terrorism Bill.

This shows why we need a House of Lords. The Commons – our elected representatives – passed it, and the Lords – appointed and hereditary – voted it down. Yet it was the Lords who have voted the way the people wanted.

The government doesn’t appear to want to accept that it is dead, so rather than just admitting that it is over, instead they have prepared a separate bill to resurrect 42 days detention without trial to bring to Parliament “if needed”.

It’s dead. Dead. The government just need to accept it.