Appropriately Gentle

Lord Carlile of Berriew, who was elevated to the House of Donors early in the Vicar of Downing Street's first ministry to the political Angles, who is in favour of control orders and detention without charge, and who is therefore described as an "independent reviewer of the terror laws", has observed that Binyam Mohamed "may launch legal action against the US or British authorities" over his sojourn at the Guantánomaly. Accordingly, given the ways in which governments generally treat those who cause them embarrassment, Lord Carlile expects "a light and gentle touch to be applied" by the authorities "to ensure that [Mohamed] is not harassed in any way by the authorities". The evidence which put Mohamed in the Guantánomaly in the first place is so strong that there is "now little prospect of any criminal action in the UK ... over his alleged involvement in terrorism", so any possibilities of his permanent British residence being undermined are purely "theoretical", for the moment at any rate. Hence Lord Carlile, independent reviewer and joined-up thinker that he is, "would be amazed if this case was not treated with an appropriately light touch". The Upper Miliband is feeling a bit fragile these days, so Mohamed - terror suspect, ex-jailbird and dusky non-citizen with considerable Muslimity risk - will almost certainly go easy if he knows what is good for him.