After years of denial the British government fi nally admitted that its territory was used in connection with controversial ‘extraordinary rendition’ fl ights by the US.

However, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, insisted that previous denials had been made in ‘good faith’ and that the US had only now informed the British authorities of two instances in 2002.

‘It’s obviously a very serious issue. We have just been informed by the United States of America about what has actually happened. The US has expressed regret for us not knowing about this issue,’ said Gordon Brown.

David Miliband apologised to parliament for the earlier denials and said that in two instances in 2002, US planes had stopped in the ‘UK dependent territory’ of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to refuel.

He said US and British legal teams had discussed the issue and he had spoken to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about it.

‘She shares my deep regret that this information has only just come to light,’ Miliband said.

Former foreign secretary Jack Straw and former Prime Minister Tony Blair made statements in 2005, 2006 and 2007, saying there was no evidence that rendition fl ights had stopped on British territory or passed through British airspace.

Miliband said the US had told him that neither of the two men involved in the rendition were British. One has since been released and one is still at Guantanamo Bay.

‘I’m very sorry indeed to have to report to the House the need to correct these and other statements on the subject, on the basis of new information passed to offi cials on February 15 by the US government,’ said Miliband.

‘Contrary to earlier explicit assurance that Diego Garcia had not been used for rendition fl ights, recent US investigations have now revealed two occasions, both in 2002, when this had occurred.’

Miliband said that for the ‘avoidance of doubt’ his offi cials would compile a list of all fl ights where there were concerns that rendition may have involved travel through Britain or its overseas territories. The list would be sent to the US and Britain would ask for ‘specifi c assurance’ that none of the fl ights were used for rendition.

Miliband said Britain expected the US to seek permission before rendering detainees through British territory. ‘We will grant that permission only if we are satisfi ed that the rendition would accord with UK law and our international obligations.’

The revelations prompted a furious response from other Labour MP’s and opposition parties who had repeatedly pressed the previous Blair government over the issue.

‘The best way of avoiding any further episodes of this kind - in which our government is totally an innocent party - would be for the US to end rendition fl ights altogether, for them to end the disgusting practice of waterboarding and ... the total closure of the illegal facility at Guantanamo Bay,’ said veteran Labour parliamentarian Gerald Kaufman.

Conservative foreign policy spokesman William Hague said ‘these cases’ were bound to undermine public trust ‘in the arrangements we have with the United States.’

If torture did occur, it was ‘fundamentally wrong’ and the US should adopt a ‘defi nition of torture which corresponds more closely with international norms,’ said Hague.

Liberal parliamentarian Menzies Campbell said the situation was a ‘gross embarrassment’ for the government which had ‘absolutely no effective control’ over what happened at the Diego Garcia site. Image: Trevor Paglen & John Emerson / Clockshop