Britain paid for other nations to carry out illegal rendition operations during the US war on terror, it was revealed today.

In three individual cases British spooks paid, or offered to pay, a share of the costs for transferring prisoners to another country - despite the likelihood they would be tortured.

The cases are among hundreds of examples of UK 'tolerance' of extraordinary rendition and torture in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

The Intelligence and Security Committee poured over thousands of documents and took evidence from spy chiefs in private before publishing today's two reports.

But it was barred by the Government from interviewing spies who worked on the front lines and chose to publish its inquiry rather than take partial evidence only from former politicians, including Tony Blair and Jack Straw.

Labour, together with human rights groups Liberty and Reprieve, all called for a judge-led inquiry today to 'explore the dark corners' the parliamentary probe was not allowed to study.

The report found that agency chiefs and senior ministers of the day - who included then Prime Minister Tony Blair (pictured in Iraq with troops in 2003) and his Foreign Secretary Jack Straw - could have done more to to 'influence US behaviour'

The Intelligence and Security Committee, chaired by Tory Dominic Grieve (pictured today at the launch of the reports in Parliament today) has found that Britain tolerated torture during the War on Terror and could have done more to curb the Americans

Today's reports reveal:

Personnel from MI6, MI5 and military intelligence took part in up to 3,000 interrogations of individuals held by the US in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay from 2002

In three individual cases, Britain paid or offered to pay costs of rendition

In nine cases, British officers made verbal threats and in two cases they were party to mistreatment carried out by others. Only one of these has been investigated by the Metropolitan Police

On 13 occasions UK personnel witnessed at first hand abuse of prisoners and in 25 cases were told by detainees of mistreatment

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

And in 198 cases, they received intelligence obtained from detainees who they knew or should have suspected had been mistreated

Written records suggest spy chiefs knew - or should have known - of systematic abuse in the aftermath of 9/11

But none of Tony Blair, Jack Straw or David Blunkett were officially told in their roles of PM, Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary before 2005

Chairman Dominic Grieve highlighted there were many press reports of US mistreatment before 2005

There is still no coherent policy for tracking whether Britain is complicit in unlawful rendition, more than a decade after it first came to light

Today's probe by the Intelligence and Security Committee found there is no 'smoking gun' suggesting British officers carried out torture or had a policy of deliberately ignoring it, but it is 'beyond doubt' agencies knew the US was mistreating detainees.

And it said the agency chiefs and ministers - who at the launch of the war on terror were Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Foreign Secretary Jack Straw - could have done more to to 'influence US behaviour'.

The committee, chaired by Tory MP Dominic Grieve, found 'the UK tolerated actions, and took others, that we regard as inexcusable'.

Mr Grieve highlighted three occasions where Britain paid, or offered to pay, for rendition operations and the channelling of questions to interrogations where torture was likely to be used.

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain should be proud of its spies, acknowledging that while mistakes had been made and they should be held to the highest standards, they worked 'in the most difficult circumstances'.

Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain should be proud of its spies, acknowledging that while mistakes had been made and they should be held to the highest standards, they worked 'in the most difficult circumstances'

Abdel Hakim Belhaj (pictured earlier this year receiving a letter of apology from the UK government handed over by the British ambassador to Turkey Dominick Chilcott) was one of the most high profile rendition cases. He and his wife was grabbed by the CIA in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2004 and delivered to Libya where he was jailed for six years and tortured

According to the ISC, Britain 'tolerated' extraordinary rendition and the 'inexcusable' torture of hundreds of detainees during the US war on terror and to this day the UK Government has 'failed to take action' to stop prisoners being illegally taken to countries where they can be abused.

The explosive findings are in two reviews by the ISC into the mistreatment of detainees in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and on current policy.

What are the findings of the ISC reviews into the UK's role in War on Terror? Two long-delayed but damning reviews of Britain's role in the mistreatment of suspects in the US-led War on Terror have been published. Here are the main findings of the review carried out by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee: Britain 'tolerated' extraordinary rendition and torture during the US war on terror

No evidence British officers personally carried out torture

In nine cases, British officers made verbal threats and in two cases they were party to mistreatment carried out by others. Only one has been investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

On 13 occasions UK personnel witness at first hand abuse of prisoners and in 25 cases were told by detainees of mistreatment.

There were 232 cases where questions or intelligence were supplied to foreign agents where Britain knew of it suspected mistreatment. Information was received by Britain in 198 further cases of mistreatment.

On three occasions MI6 or MI5 paid, or offered to pay, contributions to a rendition flight

In 28 cases, British spies suggested, plan we or agreed to rendition operations proposed by other nations. In 23 more cases, Britain failed to take action to intervene and stop a rendition.

The ISC found no evidence any American rendition flight came through the UK with a detainee on board.

Two detainees passed through the British base in Diego Garcia but were not held there. Advertisement

Mr Grieve said it was 'difficult to comprehend' how spy chiefs failed to recognise a 'pattern of mistreatment by the US' and pass on the information to ministers.

The probe has been repeatedly delayed since it was ordered by David Cameron eight years ago.

And a twin review looking at Britain's current procedures tore into Theresa May for failing to toughen up safeguards.

It said Britain's current procedures to tackle cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (CIDT) have 'room for improvement' - even though the UK is one of few in the world to have guidelines at all.

In a damning assessment of the current practice on rendition, Mr Grieve said: 'There has been little improvement since we last reported in 2007.

'We find it astonishing that, given the intense focus on this issue 10 years ago, the Government has failed to take action.

'There is no clear policy, and not even agreement as to who has responsibility for preventing UK complicity in unlawful rendition.'

He added: 'We are unconvinced that the Government recognises the seriousness of rendition and the potential for the UK to be complicit in actions which may lead to torture or CIDT.'

The ISC said the Foreign Office position that the UK is not complicit in rendition if it allows transit refuelling in UK airspace of a possible rendition flight is 'not acceptable'.

And it criticised Mrs May for ordering only a light touch review of policy on detention and rendition last year.

Mr Grieve said: 'In our opinion, a full review is long overdue.'

He insisted that MPs are not trying to point the finger of blame at individual officers - but to highlight the failures in how Britain responded to the terror threat after the attack on the twin towers.

Mr Grieve said: 'We wish to be absolutely clear that we do not seek to blame individual officers acting under immense pressure.

'Our findings must be viewed in the context in which the events took place.

'The pace of work after 9/11, both in Afghanistan and London, was frenetic: we do not underestimate the pressure that the Agencies experienced whilst dealing with the imperative to protect the UK and prevent another attack on the scale of 9/11.'

The ISC defines UK complicity in rendition as funding, facilitating or endorsing the moving of prisoners across borders to places where torture can take place.

Tony Blair (pictured in London yesterday) is not criticised by name but the committee concluded his government should have known what the US was doing to prisoners

Complicity also means providing intelligence to allow a rendition and failing to stop a flight taking place.

Who suffered rendition aided by British agents? Abdel Hakim Belhaj (pictured) is the most high profile victim of a rendition implicating Britain The most high profile claim against Britain involved the kidnap of Libyan dissident Abdel Hakim Belhaj, 52, and his wife Fatima Boudchar. Years of court action finally came to an end last month when the Government issued a full apology and £500,000 to Ms Boudchar. The pair were grabbed by the CIA in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2004 and delivered to Libya where he was jailed for six years and tortured. Britain's exact role in the kidnap has never been fully explained The ISC also highlighted the case of Mohammed Salad Iqbal Madni, who was rendered from Indonesia to Egypt, via the UK base on Diego Garcia. His plane flew home to Washington via a refuelling stop at Prestwick Airport in Glasgow. Advertisement

The report uses code words of UK towns to shield the real countries involved - but makes clear detainees were not moved from or through the British mainland.

The reviews come just a month after Britain was forced to issue a formal apology for its role in the mistreatment of Libyan dissident Abdel Hakim Belhaj, 52, and his wife Fatima Boudchar.

The pair were grabbed by the CIA in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2004 and delivered to Libya where he was jailed for six years and tortured.

Britain made a full public apology to the couple last month for its role in the rendition, paying £500,000 in compensation to Ms Boudchar.

The ISC also highlighted the case of Mohammed Salad Iqbal Madni, who was rendered from Indonesia to Egypt, via the British base on Diego Garcia.

His plane then flew home to Washington via a refuelling stop at Prestwick Airport in Glasgow.

The reports highlight a Guardian report in 2005 which said a 26-strong fleet of CIA planes used 19 British airports and RAF bases in the aftermath of 9/11.

In a press conference on the reports, Mr Grieve said written evidence suggested until 2005 issues were not 'escalated' to ministers, including Mr Blair.

Neither Mr Blair or Mr Straw gave oral evidence to the inquiry about what, if anything, they had been told informally.

Mr Grieve added: 'Written evidence suggests that ministers knew in 2005 - although it is worth bearing in mind there was quite a lot of news coverage to suggest mistreatment was occurring.'

Mr Grieve said there was nothing in the written record to suggest anyone in the Blair Government investigated the reports of US mistreatment.

Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said today he would have given evidence had he been asked to and insisted many of the findings in today's report are new to him

Shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti said the findings of the report meant a full judge-led inquiry into what happened was now 'inescapable'

Mr Straw said today he would have given evidence to Mr Grieve's committee had he been asked to and insisted many of the findings in today's report are new to him.

May barred war on terror era spies from giving evidence Theresa May barred the Intelligence and Security Committee from interviewing spies who served on the front lines of the war on terror. Chairman Dominic Grieve confirmed the request over the witness list escalated to the Prime Minister. Following the refusal, the committee chose to publish its inquiry based on written evidence rather than take partial evidence only from former politicians, including Tony Blair and Jack Straw. Labour, together with human rights groups Liberty and Reprieve, all called for a judge-led inquiry today to 'explore the dark corners' the parliamentary probe was not allowed to study. Advertisement

He said: 'The report correctly draws attention to the extremely difficult and highly pressured circumstances in which the agencies were working in the post 9/11 period.

'Although I was formally responsible for both SIS and GCHQ during my period as Foreign Secretary (June 2001 to May 2006) I have today learnt much about the activities and the approach of these agencies of which I was not aware before.'

Mr Straw added: 'The report also shows that where I was involved in decisions I consistently sought to ensure that the United Kingdom did act in accordance with its long stated policies, and international norms.

'I made repeated representations about the British detainees in Guantanamo Bay, which in the end were successful in securing their release.

'Many lessons, including about the operation of the agencies and their relationship with Ministers and their officials have since been learnt.

'There are more which should follow this report.'

Two detainees passed through the British base in Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands (pictured) but were not held there.

Ken Clarke, the chairman of the all party group on extraordinary rendition, said: 'It is clear from the two ISC reports today that, in the years following 9/11, there were large numbers of cases where US intelligence services mistreated and unlawfully rendered detainees.

'It is also clear that our intelligence and security services were aware of and sometimes complicit in this behaviour.'

He added: 'The ISC says ''we find it astonishing that, given the intense focus on this issue ten years ago, the government has failed to take action''. I strongly agree.'

Shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti said: 'It is now clear from the published reports that the Intelligence and Security Committee was denied access to individuals, severely limiting its ability to give as comprehensive a resolution to this scandal as it would have liked.

'Its criticisms of ongoing inadequacies on guidance relating to torture and rendition also makes a judge-led inquiry - that the Government is so keen to avoid - inescapable.'

Dan Dolan (file), head of policy at Reprieve, the human rights charity, has condemned British involvement in rendition

Bella Sankey, deputy director of human rights organisation Reprieve, said the restrictions the ISC were operating under meant its report had only 'scratched the surface'.

'The Prime Minister has so far shown contempt for the committee's work and its recommendations,' Ms Sankey said.

'She must now listen to cross-party calls to deliver what the Government originally promised: an independent judge-led inquiry which can explore the dark corners the ISC could not reach.'

Corey Stoughton, advocacy director at human rights group Liberty, said: 'The Government crippled this inquiry from the start, constraining its scope, withholding critical information, and creating obstacles to a full and complete reckoning on the UK's complicity in torture.

'But even with such limited access to the people and materials they needed to get to the truth.

'The Intelligence and Security Committee has delivered two stinging reports into what it terms 'inexcusable' conduct.

'Their pages make for distressing reading, but we still haven't got to the bottom of the UK's involvement in the unforgivable mistreatment of people around the world.

'Ministers must finally instigate the promised independent judge-led inquiry to delve deeper into our country's involvement in torture and rendition.'