Blair's government was heavily defeated in the House of Lords on Tuesday over plans to outlaw incitement to religious hatred which critics feared would have curbed free speech.

The Lords voted, with a majority of 149, to back a cross-party amendment which would increase safeguards on freedom of speech.

The amended form would also retain the need for a prosecution to prove criminal intent before any charge could be brought.The Religious Hatred Bill was originally proposed in 2001 but rejected by the House of Lords.

Following the London bomb attacks which killed 52 people, Blair said he would move to ban people who were suspected of preaching religious hatred and deport those already doing so.

But critics of the bill, which included comedian Rowan Atkinson, former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, and several Lords said it went too far.

The amended bill states that someone can only be prosecuted under the law if they are using threatening words or behaviour as opposed to the original, more general charge of abusive or insulting words.

Peers from all parties said the law, in its original form, would have limited freedom of expression among journalists, comedians, commentators and actors.

Comedian Atkinson -- creator of the hapless "Mr Bean" -- had been a strong critic of the government's original bill, saying it would put religion virtually off-limits to satirists.

The government had failed on two previous occasions to get the bill through the House of Lords. The bill will now return to the House of Commons.

Ministers may seek proposals to satisfy some of the Lords' amendments or they may try to force the bill through the upper house.

At present, British law prohibits attacks on people's colour, race or ethnic origin but not their religion.

"We hope that the Government will now urgently consult on the way ahead," Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC said.

Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society said the original, "draconian" bill would have limited freedom of expression.

"I hope that the Government will learn from its defeat over these amendments, that it will be almost impossible to get this Bill through Parliament in its unamended form," he said in a statement.

BPP: They will still try and push this bill through in one form or another. They are DESPERATE to appease the Muslim vote and our freedom remains as nothing to Blair's Stalinists. Join us TODAY and fight back for freedom!

A common site on the streets of London now!