Jack Straw has reignited the row over the release of the Lockerbie bomber by admitting for the first time that trade and oil were an essential part of the Government’s decision to include him in a prisoner transfer deal with Libya.
The Justice Secretary said he was unapologetic about including Abdelbaset al Megrahi in the agreement, citing a multi-million-pound oil deal signed by BP and Libya six weeks later.
The admission directly contradicts Gordon Brown's insistence only days ago that oil deals were not a factor in the prisoner's release.
Mr Brown has been accused of putting Britain’s trade interests before justice for the Lockerbie victims.
Earlier this week, the outcry forced him to say: “There was no conspiracy, no cover-up, no double dealing, no deal on oil, no attempt to instruct Scottish ministers, no private assurances.”
In his interview today, Mr Straw admits that when he was considering in 2007 whether the bomber should be included in a prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) with Libya, Britain’s trade interests were a crucial factor.
Documents published this week showed Mr Straw originally promised that a PTA would only be reached with Libya if Megrahi was excluded. But he later caved in to Libyan demands to include Megrahi. It followed a warning from BP that a failure to include the bomber could hurt the oil giant’s business interests.
When asked in the interview if trade and BP were factors, Mr Straw admits: “Yes, [it was] a very big part of that. I’m unapologetic about that... Libya was a rogue state.
“We wanted to bring it back into the fold. And yes, that included trade because trade is an essential part of it and subsequently there was the BP deal.”
Mr Straw also claims today that Mr Brown had nothing to do with his change of heart over the PTA, adding: “I certainly didn’t talk to the PM. There is no paper trail to suggest he was involved at all.”
Finally, slippery Jack admits what we all knew! Finally, some semblance of truth emerges from the depths of the Labour propaganda machine that Megrahi was released as part of a trade agreement with Libya to ratify an oil deal worth $900 million to BP. The diplomatic fallout from this pathetic attempt at a cover-up has done untold damage to Britain's reputation and standing in the world and that situation will have no chance of improving until this rotten, duplicitous, incompetent Labour government has been consigned to the dustbin of history, hopefully forever.
I also take exception to Straw's assertion that Snotty had nothing to do with it! Macavity was the one doing all the talking to Gaddafi at the G8 summit and reaching a final agreement with him. Straw's job, as per usual, would have been to take care of all the dirty work involved to make sure the deal was ratified.
Straw also claims their is no paper trail leading to Brown whereas others investigating this debacle have stated that the paper trail leads directly to him! I firmly believe those findings before I would believe anything this lying Labour shower say - who have continually demonstrated that they are not only economical with the truth but are unacquainted with it entirely.
I said a few posts back that I believed Said Gaddafi's version of events was the true story - it was mentioned by him in such a casual way and the explanation was so simple that it just had to be the real truth of the matter.
I know what I believe but I'll leave it at this point so you can all decide for yourselves which version of events you believe.
