The British government last night won a vote in the Commons on the second reading of its bill for dealing with on-the-run (OTR) paramilitary suspects in Northern Ireland.
It won the vote by 313 votes to 258, a majority of 55.
The bill, which covers some 150 people wanted for crimes committed before the Belfast Agreement was signed in 1998, was opposed by Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, DUP, SDLP and Ulster Unionists.
Former Northern Ireland secretary Paul Murphy warned that ministers would need to consider seriously "sensible amendments" to their bill if it is to survive its later Commons stages and avoid defeat in the House of Lords.
Mr Murphy surprised the government front bench, saying he would support the bill at second reading though it was "still, I think, a very bitter pill to swallow".
Observing the scale of cross-party opposition to the measure, Mr Murphy told ministers they were operating in changed circumstances since 1998: "The difference between now and 1998 is that there has not been a referendum and the context is obviously very different."
He warned: "It is only republicans among the parties who want this legislation; so it is imperative that other measures are taken to provide reassurance across the board."
The London-based British Irish Rights Watch has also expressed its concern that the bill will allow agents of the British state, guilty of collusion with loyalist terrorists, to avoid being held to account for their crimes.