Miliband pressured in torture row

Feb 4 2009

Foreign Secretary David Miliband have been urged to intervene in a row between the British courts and the United States over the release of documents relating to allegations of torture.

Two senior judges revealed the US Government threatened to review its intelligence-sharing relationship with the UK if the material was placed in the public domain.

The documents reveal details of the treatment by the US of Ethiopian Binyam Mohamed, a former UK resident being held in Guantanamo Bay, who claims British agencies were complicit in his torture.

The High Court ruled the dossier provided by US authorities should remain secret but launched a scathing criticism of the threat.

Former shadow home secretary David Davis demanded a Commons statement on the ruling, calling it a "matter of utmost national importance". He said the ruling implied that torture had taken place and British agencies may have been complicit.

Mr Miliband later told Channel 4 News that Britain's continuing intelligence relationship with the US depended on mutual trust.

"There has been no threat from the United States to 'break off' intelligence co-operation," he said. "Intelligence co-operation depends on confidentiality. We share our secrets with other countries and they share their secrets with us. The founding principle for us and for them is that we can trust the confidentiality of that relationship.

"In this case, the United States made it clear, in documents that have been published, that there would inevitably be serious and lasting harm if that fundamental principle was breached."

Mr Miliband said that there was no indication that the US position had changed under President Obama. He said suggestions that British agencies may have been "complicit" in the alleged torture of Mohamed had already been referred by the Government to the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland.

"We never condone or authorise the use of torture," he said.