We need a public inquiry on torture

At last week's Liberal Democrat conference, I spoke in a debate on torture. The British Government stands accused of complicity in torture, and while the accusations remain unproven, we must have a proper public inquiry into what is alleged to have happened. Torture is not only morally wrong, but also totally inefficient - all the research shows that people being tortured will say anything to make it stop, rendering the "evidence" thus obtained useless.

Also at Conference, I was among the organisers of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel's (LDFI) fringe meeting, which was an exciting opportunity to hear about the latest American efforts to achieve Middle East peace. Nick Clegg visited LDFI's stall at the conference, and this picture shows (left to right) Nick, Cllr Monroe Palmer (LDFI's Chair), me and our Camden Lib Dem colleague Ed Fordham. We're shown holding LDFI's latest publication, a pamphlet by Dr Emanuele Ottolenghi on the challenges posed by Iran.