MEPs back Liberal Democrat call for Chilcot report to be published

The European Parliament has backed calls for the Chilcot Inquiry to be published and for a full inquiry to be launched into allegations that CIA interrogations took place on the British territory of Diego Garcia. The calls were added to a resolution today in amendments tabled by Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder.

MEPs also gave their support to calls for a full inquiry to be launched into the UK and other EU governments complicity in CIA torture programmes, in particular following allegations that CIA interrogations took place on the British territory of Diego Garcia

The calls were added to the resolution in amendments proposed by Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder.

She commented:

"Pressure is now building for the Chilcot Inquiry to be published without further delay.

"This is an issue central to our country's foreign policy; the public deserve to know the truth before they cast their vote at the General Election.

"Evidence from Chilcot could also be vital to wider investigations being undertaken across Europe into governments' complicity with the CIA's torture programme."

Liberal Democrat Foreign Affaris Spokesperson Tim Farron commented:

"Britain represents the values of order, tolerance and justice. The UK government should never, ever have allowed our territory to be used in the process of rendition.

"But more than that the recent news that Diego Garcia might have been involved in the CIA torture programme is another revelation that has been denied, repeatedly, for the last decade. The US government must now come clean and tell us what happened on Diego Garcia.

"I am glad that the European Parliament is now backing calls for a fully-fledged inquiry.

"Either the US government lied to us or the previous government covered up what they knew."