While almost every MP in the UK was in the House of Commons to vote on one of the most divisive Bills in recent years, last week, Finchley and Golders Green's Rudi Vis was sat in his office.

Dr Vis says that despite being completely opposed to the Counter-Terrorism Bill, which could lead to terrorist suspects detained for up to 42 days, he abstained from voting to avoid potentially striking another blow to the beleaguered Gordon Brown.

He also revealed something of the atmosphere in Parliament before the crunch vote last Wednesday, as party whips frantically negotiated with Labour rebels in their efforts to avoid a defeat for the Government.

He said: "I was really going to vote against and was really worried about this legislation. All the whips were talking me and I thought what do I do?'

"I talked to a couple of friends in the House of Lords who said not to vote against it because the Lords will reject it anyway. And if he lost the vote in the Commons it would be a big blow to Gordon Brown, who has already had many blows.

"It was just not the right thing to do. When I was shown the list of names the Government was 15 short of winning and they did everything in their power to change it. My God it was a busy day."

In the end, when the bell rang to call Dr Vis to the House to vote, he says he stayed in his office.

He also accused Conservative MPs of playing politics with the issue in an attempt to deal a blow to Gordon Brown, something he was unwilling to contribute to.

"If you go back to the 90 days vote for a similar Bill in 2005 there were quite a number of Tories who voted for it and they're all now against it. It seems to me that if they're going to play politics for politics' sake then I'm not going to side with them.

"What's the point in me voting against it if it's going to be defeated anyway? After all, I'm Labour. Maybe it's a cheap solution, but it's a solution."

Before and after the vote, rumours abounded that the Government were offering bribes to the Labour rebels - in the form of financial backing for pet projects in their constituencies - in their efforts to ward off defeat.

Dr Vis said: "It took an awful lot of persuading and they made it. I don't know whether there were prizes given or gifts, I certainly wouldn't want that to happen.

"But the timing of some of the things, particularly with the Northern Irish lot, is very suspicious."