Ministers knew about torture, say Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrat leader upped the stakes in the row over MI5 and pointed the finger at the “very top of Government” as the fallout from the Binyam Mohamed case continued.

Yesterday, he demanded to know if ministers were told the US had changed its rules on torture after the 9/11 attacks.

The Government either knew or the Security Service engaged in a cover-up, he claimed.

He said: “We must know who in Britain knew the US had changed the rules on torture, when they knew and what action they took.

“We can only conclude that the security services either kept the information to themselves, or they informed Ministers who failed to act immediately.

“Both of these would suggest at best a cover-up and at worst collusion in torture.

“Knowledge of Britain’s potential complicity in torture looks likely to have gone to the very top of Government.”

Home Secretary Alan Johnson went on the offensive too, accusing the media of publishing “groundless accusations” and commentators of spreading “ludicrous” lies about the Security Service and defended its staff.

He also turned his fire on the Tories, accusing backbench MP David Davis of deliberately making false allegations about MI5.

The former Tory Home Affairs Spokesman was guilty of spreading a “gross and offensive misrepresentation of the truth”, the Home Secretary said, and called on the Conservative leadership to distance themselves from the remarks.

Mr Johnson said: “The security services in our country do not practice torture, they do not endorse torture, they don’t encourage others to torture on our behalf, they don’t collude in torture. Full stop.

“People can make their arguments and their assertions but that shouldn’t be taken by some commentators in the media as true simply because someone has said it’s true.

“They’re baseless, groundless and there’s no evidence to back them up.”

He backed MI5 director general Jonathan Evans, who rubbished claims by one of the country’s most senior judges that there was a “culture of suppression” within the service.

Mr Evans warned against succumbing to enemy propaganda.

“For their part, our enemies will also seek to use all tools at their disposal to attack us. That means not just bombs, bullets and aircraft, but also propaganda.”

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal ordered the release of a summary of what UK intelligence was told about the treatment of Mohamed, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee.

They were informed that what he suffered “could readily be contended to be at the very least cruel, inhuman and degrading”.

Later, it emerged that Lord Neuberger had removed comments from the ruling that suggested there was a “culture of suppression” within MI5.

The judgment was redrafted after a letter from Government lawyers objected to its contents.

Mr Davis accused the Home Secretary of attacking him to cover up his own failures.

He pointed to the apology given by the Government’s solicitors for withholding nine documents from the Binyam Mohamed case which contradicted other evidence from Government witnesses.