THE Government last night comfortably succeeded by 21 votes in the Commons in reversing a Lords defeat over its controversial plans to curb bogus asylum claims.

Despite some Tory backbench protests, MPs voted by 295 to 274 to overturn peers' bid to allow asylum-seekers three days to claim refugee status without losing the right to welfare benefits.

Earlier this month, the Lords had voted by a majority of just three to amend the Asylum and Immigration Bill to provide extra time for would-be immigrants to claim refugee status.

The move was backed by former Beirut hostage John McCarthy, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Basil Hume.

However, Social Security Secretary Peter Lilley last night urged the Commons not to go along with their last-minute pleas, warning that the Lords amendment would give the greatest help to bogus refugees and create new loopholes for them to exploit.

Far from being the minor amendment that it was being portrayed, he said it would have ``major financial consequences'' of at least #80m for taxpayers.

Shadow Social Security Secretary Chris Smith said: ``What this Government are trying to do is to starve genuine refugees out of this country.''

On the Tory back benches, reservations were voiced by former Cabinet Minister Peter Brooke (City of London and Westminster South), ex-Minister Peter Bottomley (Eltham) and Sir Patrick Cormack (Staffordshire South).

Later analysis of the division lists showed that Mr Bottomley and Sir Patrick did not vote in the key division reversing the Lords amendment, but Mr Brooke was among Conservatives supporting the Government in the vote.

Mr Bottomley told the House he supported the principle of the three extra days but the central issue was how to balance the Government's aims with the Lords amendment.

``What we ought to try to do is to recognise that a small number of people who have a justifiable claim for refugee status ought to be able to claim, not just at the moment at they arrive in this country, but within a day or two afterwards,'' he said.

Sir Patrick said the Lords amendment was ``modest''.He told MPs: ``If faced with the choice, I would rather a bogus person benefited than a genuine refugee was sent back to an evil regime.

``Whether one talks about those who came during those evil years of the `30s from Nazi Germany, or whether one talks of those now who are here having fled the evil of Bosnia in the last two or three years, one is talking of people who have suffered desperately and for whom this country is a beacon.''

Mr Brooke told Ministers they could do much to ease disquiet among Conservative MPs if part of the money saved through the changes went to ``those voluntary organisations who will have to provide a safety net for those in trouble''.