Tony Blair ‘ordered illegal actions on renditions’

Secret government documents suggest Tony Blair ordered diplomats to prevent the return to Britain of a UK national detained as a terror suspect and later sent to Guantanamo Bay, it was claimed today.

The papers were released this week as part of a High Court case being brought by six former Guantanamo detainees against the security and intelligence services and government departments.

The documents show that it was decided early in 2002 that the transfer of UK nationals to the US military camp in Cuba was "the best way" to meet the Government's counter-terrorism goals.

And they reveal concern within the Foreign Office that Martin Mubanga's right to consular access was breached as a result of direct interference from No 10.

An unnamed Foreign Office official stated: "Instructions from London were unequivocal. We should not accept responsibility for or take custody of (Mubanga)."

Another document appears to record an interrogation attended by UK agents at Bagram air base in Afghanistan where detainee Omar Deghayes complained of being treated in a "barbaric" fashion by his American captors using leg braces and "lock-down positions".

The documents were obtained by the charity Reprieve, whose director Clive Stafford Smith said: "Tony Blair expressly ordered [then foreign secretary] Jack Straw to violate the law and refuse to help British nationals who were being detained across the world by the United States."

There was no response from the Foreign Office or Mr Blair's Office to Mr Stafford Smith's comments.