PLANS to set a time limit for asylum-seekers to appeal to the High Court to be allowed to stay in Britain have been defeated in the House of Lords.

Last night, Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers rejected the plan by 143 votes to 94, a majority of 49, claiming it would not provide lawyers with enough time to prepare a legal case. Under the plan, asylum-seekers would have had five days to appeal to the High Court against decisions by a tribunal to refuse them the right to remain in the country.

Peers said it was unfair to expect legal representatives to perform this task in only five working days, particularly given current postal delays.

Lord Goodhart, the Liberal Democrat peer, said that a five-day limit was utterly impractical and the proposals blatantly unfair. Lord Filkin, Minister in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, said the public were quite clear that they wanted the Government to ensure “that the abuse in the system is stamped out and there is strong support for that position I believe, not just among the more extreme elements of the popular press, but among those who hold dear the traditions of this society and its responsibilities to consider applicants for asylum.”

The Bill unifies the immigration and appeals system into a single tier appeals tribunal, restricting access to higher courts.

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