Miliband, Johnson deny torture collusion

LONDON, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Home Secretary Alan Johnson say Britain had no role in colluding with foreign torturers.

The two jointly authored an article in The Sunday Telegraph in which they asserted Britain "firmly opposed" torture and cruel punishment and said there said there was "no truth" to allegations it was official policy to "collude in, solicit, or directly participate in abuses of prisoners."

"All the most serious plots and attacks in the U.K. in this decade have had significant links abroad," Miliband and Johnson wrote. "Our agencies must work with their equivalents overseas. So we have to work hard to ensure that we do not collude in torture or mistreatment."

The article comes as a House of Commons committee has recommended an investigation of the transfer of terrorism suspects through British territory and after another committee called for a probe of British government complicity in torture, the BBC reported.