'Free Camp X-Ray London businessmen'

Tony Blair faced a new headache today over charges that the Government had betrayed two London businessmen held by the United States in Guantanamo Bay.

The two, Bisher al-Rawi and Jamil al-Banna, were originally arrested last November by British police at Gatwick Airport but freed without charge.

They flew to Gambia - where they were involved in the setting-up of a peanut oil processing plant - and were re-arrested by local secret police who claimed they were acting on behalf of Britain.

After a month they were handed over to US agents and flown to an interrogation centre at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan before being transferred, last March, to Cuba.

The men have been held at Guantanamo Bay's Camp X-Ray as "enemy combatants" despite the fact that there is no evidence that they took part in the Afghan conflict. They are believed to stand accused of links to al Qaeda but no detail of the accusation has been given to either the men or their families, nor have any charges been made.

Mr Rawi, who is an Iraqi national and whose family fled to Britain to escape the regime of Saddam Hussein, has lived in Britain for 19 years and has been given indefinite leave to remain. His home is in Kingston and his brother and sister are British citizens.

Jordanian born Mr Banna was given refugee status three years ago after fleeing to Britain to escape persecution.

Ministers have refused to step in on the grounds that neither is a British national. But their supporters, including Amnesty and Mr Rawi's MP, say no other authority can help them.

Liberal Democrat MP Edward Davey said: "My constituent has been in the UK for nearly 20 years, paying taxes, and has permanent residency rights and close British relatives. "The British Government is washing their hands of him. For the UK to say he should get help from a non-existent Iraqi government when we are jointly governing the country is beyond Kafka-esque."

Mr Blair has already bowed to pressure over the plight of two Britons held in Cuba, Feroz Abbasi from Croydon and Moazzam Begg from Birmingham.

Downing Street last night, reversing its previous stance, said the Prime Minister would discuss returning the two to Britain for trial when he meets President George Bush next week.

Supporters of Mr Rawi and Mr Banna said they are equally entitled to British aid - and put a heavy question mark over the role of the security services.

Livio Zilli of Amnesty said the decision not to aid Mr Banna was

" questionable morally and legally". He went on: "We have serious questions about the role the UK may have had in the unlawful rendering to US custody of these people."

The two men first were arrested under UK anti-terrorist laws and held at the high security Paddington Green police station. They were told that the reason was a suspect device in their luggage.

They were freed after their lawyer produced an Argos catalogue showing the "device" was a battery charger.

When they were arrested in Gambia relatives said they were told it was at Britain's request. After a month, two other British nationals detained at the same time, were freed after the British High Commissioner intervened.