US admits using UK base for rendition flights

Published on Thursday 21 February 2008 20:59

BRITAIN'S relations with the United States suffered a damaging blow yesterday as the government was forced to admit that two US "rendition" flights transporting terrorist suspects had landed in UK territory.

Gordon Brown expressed "disappointment" following the disclosure that, despite years of denials, the flights had refuelled on the British Indian Ocean island territory of Diego Garcia in 2002.

"We have got to assure ourselves that these procedures will never happen again," the Prime Minister said.

Opposition parties expressed concern that the two cases may only be the "tip of the iceberg".

Angus Robertson, the Westminster SNP leader, who published a report two years ago alleging that US intelligence flights passed through Scottish airports, said: "The Labour government's credibility on rendition flights has been completely blown. I didn't trust the earlier denials of ministers and following their U-turn, I trust them even less."