APPG News

On 12th July the APPG on Extraordinary Rendition held a discussion on Intelligence and Security Committee Reform. The event, Watching the Watchers, brought together an expert panel who were asked questions by Joshua Rozenberg, the leading legal journalist. The panel comprised of Lord Ricketts GCMG GCVO (National Security Adviser 2010 - 2012, Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee 2000 - 2001), Rt Hon. Dominic Grieve QC (Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee 2015 - 2019), Caroline Wilson Palow of Privacy International, Ben Jaffey QC, and the APPG's founder and co-chair, the Rt Ho…

Stephen Timms and Andrew Tyrie, co-chairmen of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition stated : “The latest IPCO report shows that parliament and the public should have no confidence in the principles preventing UK complicity in torture and detainee abuse. “It is vital that new measures are put in place. First and foremost, the implementation of major reforms to the Intelligence and Security Committee, allowing parliament to effectively scrutinise the work of the intelligence agencies.” Their comment can be found in the following article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/arti…

The following letter was placed in the Guardian by the chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition Your report describes the rendition and torture of Abu Zubaydah by the US government (The CIA tortured him after 9/11. Then they lied. Will the truth ever come out?, 29 January). UK intelligence agencies played a key role in his interrogation, despite knowing that he was subject to unlawful torture. Yet we still do not know the full extent of the British role in torture and unlawful rendition during this era. The intelligence and security committee (ISC) was, in its…

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition will hold its Annual General Meeting on May 27th, 12.30pm, on Zoom. APPG Chairman Stephen Timms will give a brief address on the latest developments in the group’s work. All members of the Commons and Lords are welcome to attend. For further details contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The APPG on Extraordinary Rendition held its inaugural meeting of the new Parliament on 11 February. At this meeting, Stephen Timms MP was elected Chair of the Group, with Lord Tyrie as Co-chair.  Other officers of the Group were elected and accounts for the year ending August 2019 were presented and accepted. The meeting also set out some of the Group's priorities for the new Parliament.  You can find the minutes of the meeting here. 

Following Monday's Urgent Question, the government today issued a combination of Oral and Written Statements, along with the successor to the Consolidated Guidance to intelligence and military personnel on detainee issues.  In his Oral Statement, the Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington announced the publication of the 'Principles' document by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Adrian Fulford, to replace the Consolidated Guidance. He also announced that "the Government have decided that it is not necessary to establish a further Inquiry." The Minister justified this on the grounds…