Lawyers examine threat of war crimes trials for Blair and Straw

GOVERNMENT lawyers were today examining whether Tony Blair and Jack Straw could be tried for war crimes if it emerged that terror suspects flown by the United States through UK airports were tortured.

Foreign Office lawyers have warned ministers and officials that Britain could be in breach of strict international laws banning the ill-treatment of prisoners if this is the case.

So far Prime Minister Mr Blair and Foreign Secretary Mr Straw have asserted that none of the individuals on secret CIA plans landing in Britain faced torture at their destination, but they are relying on the assurances of Mr Straw's US counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

If she is lying there is a theoretical possibility of charges - technically, they could end up in the dock at the United Nations International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.

The news follows the leaking of a memo from the Foreign Office to No 10 revealing that Mr Blair was warned that Britain may have approved more than the two US requests for so-called "extraordinary renditions" originally admitted to by Mr Straw, who was due to make a Commons statement today outlining the latest position.

Mr Straw told the Evening News that extensive investigations had taken place and a fourth request from Bill Clinton's administration in 1998 had been discovered. It had been turned down.

He denied that any laws had been broken.

Mr Straw said: "We don't believe the Americans would bring people through UK airports without telling us. They've always said they would ask permission to do so and the evidence is that that is what they have done."