Andrew Blick (London, Houses of Parliament): The importance of the 'Special Relationship' with the US and what precise benefits the UK reaps from it is in the news once again. Underpinning this long-term alliance is cooperation over intelligence. The Intelligence and Security Committee report on possible collaboration by the UK with the 'rendition' of terrorist suspects casts some light on how special this relationship is. The Committee notes that our government's own record-keeping in this area is inadequate (some might say conveniently so); but comes to the conclusion that there is 'no evidence that the UK Agencies were complicit in any “Extraordinary Rendition” operations.' It criticises the UK Agencies for failing to draw ministerial attention to certain developments; and identifies 'a lack of regard, on the part of the U.S., for UK concerns'. It concludes that as part of what it labels the 'War on Terror', 'the U.S. will take whatever action it deems necessary, within U.S. law, to protect its national security from those it considers to pose a serious threat. Although the U.S. may take note of UK protests and concerns, this does not appear materially to affect its strategy on rendition.'
In its response the government fails to deal properly with these concerns, insisting that 'the UK has a close, long-standing, extensive and valuable intelligence relationship with the U.S.' Perhaps when - as we are promised - the Intelligence and Security Committee is reformed as a committee reporting to Parliament, not the Prime Minister, and taking some evidence in public, some questions can be raised more directly. There is the realpolitik one, "what influence do we gain in return for our strong - or some might say pusillanimous - support for the US?", and there is the legal one, "is our own collaboration with the United States legal in terms of international human rights law?". A larger and deeply constitutional question is this, "Is the special relationship one of the factors that prevents the UK from having its own constitution?". This may sound odd. But the US literally could not bend its rules to serve Britain - it would be against its constitution. The capacity of the British political class, especially its intelligence agencies, to do what they wish may depend upon their existing in a lawless, unconstitutional environment where executive power has no higher rules.
