VICTIMS of torture should have the right to sue foreign governments for damages through British courts, a committee of MPs and peers has said.

Police in the UK did not properly respect the human rights of protesters and members of the public subjected to controversial “kettling” techniques during the G20 demonstrations in London, a parliamentary committee said today.

Powers preventing the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission from raising questions about the intelligence services were today criticised by a committee of MPs and peers.

Phone-tap evidence that could have seen scores of terrorists convicted in the North should be allowed, a human rights group said today.

Britain’s former top policeman today vigorously defended the UK government’s controversial anti-terror plans – and attacked opponents for failing to understand “the brutal reality of the world we live in”.