Tories and Lib Dems gang up to defeat Clause 17

The government has faced strong pressure over Clause 17 of the Digital Economy Bill

The government's controversial Clause 17 proposals, part of the Digital Economy Bill, look likely to be scuppered next week after the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats announced that they will vote against the legislation.

A spokeswoman for the Conservatives said that the party is "very concerned" about Clause 17, despite having asked Labour to make amendments.

"Labour has not done enough to amend the Bill, despite ourselves and the Lib Dems being very frank about our objections to the clause, and for this reason we will be voting against the Bill next week," she said.

The Lib Dems confirmed that they will join the Tories to vote against the Bill when it goes to the House of Commons at the Report stage on Monday.

The government has faced sustained and wide-ranging criticism of the clause since the Bill was launched. Web giants Google, Yahoo, Facebook and eBay insist that the legislation will stifle innovation, and have urged the government to rethink its position.

The Bill has also been heavily criticised in the House of Lords, and several members have stated their intention to oppose Clause 17.

The government has argued that the measure is necessary to ensure that the law can keep up with copyright theft and piracy in the digital age.