UK 'misled' over rendition, says Miliband

The foreign secretary has told MPs that British territory was used for extraordinary rendition by the US, contrary to previous government claims.

David Miliband, speaking in the Commons on Thursday, said ministers had recently received information from Washington showing that two flights - one en route from Guantanamo Bay and one to Morocco - stopped over at the British overseas territory Diego Garcia to refuel in 2002.

He said that the US had only just alerted the government to the incidents due to "record errors" and that he was "very sorry indeed" that previous information given by ministers to the Commons had been misleading.

The practice of rendition involves the secret transfer of terrorism suspects to interrogation centres where they risk being tortured.

Miliband said US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice had expressed "deep regret" at the mistake, which had been made in "good faith".

Rice had undertaken that US flights would not use British territory for extraordinary rendition without seeking specific permission, he said.