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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| British role in torture: Clegg has ‘open mind’ about judicial inquiry | British role in torture: Clegg has ‘open mind’ about judicial inquiry |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Nick Clegg has suggested there could be a case for a full judicial inquiry into the possibility of British complicity in torture following the publication of a US Senate report into brutal and ineffective methods used by the CIA. | Nick Clegg has suggested there could be a case for a full judicial inquiry into the possibility of British complicity in torture following the publication of a US Senate report into brutal and ineffective methods used by the CIA. |
| The deputy prime minister said he was completely confident that torture “cannot, will not and is not being used under any circumstances by UK agents”. However, he said, there were still questions about the past that were being investigated by the police and the intelligence and security committee (ISC), which is considering the findings of the interim Gibson report into torture. | The deputy prime minister said he was completely confident that torture “cannot, will not and is not being used under any circumstances by UK agents”. However, he said, there were still questions about the past that were being investigated by the police and the intelligence and security committee (ISC), which is considering the findings of the interim Gibson report into torture. |
| Clegg said the preliminary inquiry by Sir Peter Gibson “did not pull its punches in saying frankly the standards were not being adhered to in the way that they should have been in the crucial days after 9/11”, as it raised 27 serious questions about British involvement in practices such as rendition. | Clegg said the preliminary inquiry by Sir Peter Gibson “did not pull its punches in saying frankly the standards were not being adhered to in the way that they should have been in the crucial days after 9/11”, as it raised 27 serious questions about British involvement in practices such as rendition. |
| Speaking on his LBC 97.3 radio call-in, the Liberal Democrat leader said the ISC was looking at this first, but he raised the prospect of a full judicial inquiry into the issue if it did not get to the bottom of what had happened. | Speaking on his LBC 97.3 radio call-in, the Liberal Democrat leader said the ISC was looking at this first, but he raised the prospect of a full judicial inquiry into the issue if it did not get to the bottom of what had happened. |
| “Once the police investigations are done, once this report from the intelligence and security committee is done, we should keep an open mind if we need to about moving to a full judicial inquiry if there are any outstanding questions,” he said. “Because I’m like everyone else, I want the truth out there.” | “Once the police investigations are done, once this report from the intelligence and security committee is done, we should keep an open mind if we need to about moving to a full judicial inquiry if there are any outstanding questions,” he said. “Because I’m like everyone else, I want the truth out there.” |
| Clegg said the coalition government had been the first to publish the guidance for how spies handled detainees, but there could be a case for greater transparency. | Clegg said the coalition government had been the first to publish the guidance for how spies handled detainees, but there could be a case for greater transparency. |
| He rebutted the suggestion that agencies should use the same dirty tricks of terrorists, saying that torturing people meant losing the moral high ground. | He rebutted the suggestion that agencies should use the same dirty tricks of terrorists, saying that torturing people meant losing the moral high ground. |
| “Of course you can interrogate people forcefully … but you cannot mistreat and torture people. The devastating truth that has been revealed by this senate committee report [is that] the idea that you can get to the truth by torturing someone has been categorically shown to be false. In fact, what some people do in that situation is to make things up,” said Clegg. | |
| The strength of his comments suggest the deputy prime minister could back the idea of a judicial investigation. | The strength of his comments suggest the deputy prime minister could back the idea of a judicial investigation. |
| His Lib Dem colleague Sarah Teather has already called for a public inquiry into British complicity in torture. | His Lib Dem colleague Sarah Teather has already called for a public inquiry into British complicity in torture. |
| The former children’s minister said: “If the US has managed to do something which is transparent, it really is beholden on us to do something which is similarly transparent. | The former children’s minister said: “If the US has managed to do something which is transparent, it really is beholden on us to do something which is similarly transparent. |
| “The inquiries that we have had so far have been pretty slippery … It doesn’t feel very healthy. If we are going to try and put this stuff behind us and move on, we are actually going to have to air some of it.” | |
| David Davis, the prominent Conservative backbencher and former leadership candidate, said an inquiry was a necessity. | David Davis, the prominent Conservative backbencher and former leadership candidate, said an inquiry was a necessity. |
| So far, David Cameron has only pointed to the work of the Gibson report, now in the hands of the ISC, saying he is satisfied that enough is being done to address past wrongs. | So far, David Cameron has only pointed to the work of the Gibson report, now in the hands of the ISC, saying he is satisfied that enough is being done to address past wrongs. |
| Asked about the Senate report on the CIA while on a trip to Ankara, Turkey, Cameron said: “After 9/11 there were things that happened that were wrong and we should be clear about the fact that they were wrong. | Asked about the Senate report on the CIA while on a trip to Ankara, Turkey, Cameron said: “After 9/11 there were things that happened that were wrong and we should be clear about the fact that they were wrong. |
| “In Britain we have had the Gibson inquiry that has now produced a series of questions that the intelligence and security committee will look at. But I am satisfied our system is dealing with all of those issues and I, as prime minister, have issued guidance to all of our agents and others working around the world about how they have to handle these issues in future. | “In Britain we have had the Gibson inquiry that has now produced a series of questions that the intelligence and security committee will look at. But I am satisfied our system is dealing with all of those issues and I, as prime minister, have issued guidance to all of our agents and others working around the world about how they have to handle these issues in future. |
| “I am confident this issue has been dealt with from a British perspective and I think I can reassure the British public about that. But overall we should be clear: torture is wrong.” | |
| Asked if the prime minister also had an open mind on the possible need for a full inquiry, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “Our focus is to let the ISC get on with their work. They are due to report at the end of next year. Let’s see what they say and what’s needed.” | |
| ‘Questions for Labour’ | |
| Also today, Ed Miliband was asked whether his brother, David, the former foreign secretary, had questions to answer about what he knew. At an event in the City of London, the Labour leader said: “He has talked about these things in the past. I know how seriously he took these issues when he was in government. | |
| “He answered questions about this in the House of Commons while he was in government. He is never somebody who would ever countenance the British state getting engaged in this kind of activity.” | “He answered questions about this in the House of Commons while he was in government. He is never somebody who would ever countenance the British state getting engaged in this kind of activity.” |
| David Miliband is now head of the International Rescue Committee aid organisation in New York. | |
| He added: “The government itself here in Britain previously announced an inquiry into these issues but then held off that inquiry because there are court cases ongoing. I think it’s right to let those court cases and those issues take their course.” | He added: “The government itself here in Britain previously announced an inquiry into these issues but then held off that inquiry because there are court cases ongoing. I think it’s right to let those court cases and those issues take their course.” |
| Diane Abbott, the Labour former shadow minister, also said there needed to be a full inquiry, saying there were questions over the heads of some of her former colleagues about what they knew about rendition. | |
| She told London Live: “We’ve just heard all these horrible stories about the CIA torturing al-Qaida suspects and about the UK rendering people to the United States for torture. And one of the question marks above David Miliband’s head ... One of the issues is, he was foreign secretary at the time that extraordinary rendition was going on, and the question is: how much did he know? | |
| “I think there needs to be an inquiry as to how much British ministers knew of the extraordinary rendition. Did they know that we were handing people over, not just to the US, but to the US for this brutal torture that we have heard about in the last 48 hours. The Americans can at least say that they have come clean about what happened and who knew, the British government has yet to do that.” |