The government's PR department was swift to rebut Shaker Aamer's assertion that not only was he tortured when in the hands of the United States, but also that his treatment was witnessed by a British official. In a statement to the BBC the government said it "stands firmly against torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment".
However, in its bid for our re-election to the UN Human Rights Council, Philip Hammond's Foreign Office is not quite so firmly against torture - or judicial homicide, for that matter - as Chris Green's article in last Friday's Indy explains. There was an earlier indication from the FO that it put trade above human rights concerns. One wonders whether the Cameron/May Bill of Rights which they intend to replace the Human Rights Act will contain some weasel words permitting the use of torture in the defence of the realm.
See also http://www.alexsarchives.org/2015/12/executive-unchecked/ for yet more on the executive removing rights.
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