The UK tolerated "inexcusable" treatment of detainees by the US during the war on terror following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, a parliamentary committee has found.

The Intelligence and Security Committee found no "smoking gun" indicating that security and intelligence agencies had a policy of deliberately overlooking reports of mistreatment and no evidence that UK officers directly carried out physical mistreatment of detainees.

But it said it was "beyond doubt" that British intelligence agencies knew at an early stage that the US was mistreating detainees.

And "more could have been done" by both security agencies and Government ministers in the UK to try to influence US behaviour, the report found.

In 232 cases, UK personnel continued to supply questions or intelligence to allies after they knew or suspected mistreatment, said the ISC.