Miliband is sorry; Straw is glum

It was David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, who had to tell the Commons today that two US flights on 'extraordinary rendition' missions had touched down on British territory in 2002. But it was Jack Straw, one of Miliband's predecessors, who Condoleezza Rice had dropped in the brown stuff and who had to sit glumly by while Miliband apologised to MPs.

When Straw was Foreign Secretary he made a big deal about coming clean to Parliament by announcing all the details of the earlier rendition flights. Then, last week, officials at the Foreign Office were contacted by their opposite numbers in Condi's State Department to disclose that 'oops, we found two more rendition flights'. Both had landed for refuelling on the UK dependent territory of Diego Garcia and the details only come to light during a records search.

The atmosphere in the Foreign Office is said to have been black with anger. "You must be joking," is how officials are said to have responded to the US discovery.

Miliband was keen to get the latest disclosures out before he leaves for China but wanted answers to the key questions before he went into the Commons today - Were they tortured? Did they get out of the plane onto British soil? Are there any more we don’t know about?

Condi has spoken to Miliband several times over recent days and has assured him that she totally understands how important this is to Britain.

The feeling around the Commons is that Straw will get away with it. Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague and the Liberal Democrats have accepted the Miliband apology.

It raises questions about Straw's own special relationship with Condi. She paid him the compliment of going to his Blackburn constituency and they looked very chummy together. It's unlikely she will be on his Christmas card list after this.

There is also one sinister line in the Miliband statement for those who, like Liberty, oppose rendition. He said that permission would only be granted for future flights if the Government was satisfied that it was in accord with British law and the UK's international obligations, including those under the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

Privately ministers are clear: rendition flights will not be stopped.

THE MOLE: EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION

LAST UPDATED 5:31 PM, FEBRUARY 21, 2008