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Gordon Brown finally broke his silence on the Lockerbie row today, declaring he was “angry and repulsed” by the Libyan welcome for the convicted bomber.
After days of calls for him to speak out, the Prime Minister made clear he was furious with the Colonel Gaddafi for allowing a hero's welcome for Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi in Tripoli last week. He refused to comment on the Scottish Government's decision to release al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, pointing out that the principle of devolution meant it was a matter for Edinburgh.
But Mr Brown emphasised the need for Libya to act with sensitivity towards the families of Lockerbie victims in the coming days and weeks. He said that regardless of the decision taken in Scotland, “our commitment to fighting terrorism is absolute”.
The Prime Minister insisted the British Government had “no role” in the release. He also dismissed suggestions that the decision by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill would undermine Britain's relationship with the US and its other allies against terrorism.
“My first thoughts have been with the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing and I have to tell you that I was both angry and repulsed by the reception that a bomber convicted of a huge terrorist crime received,” Mr Brown said.
“Whatever the decision that was made on a quasi-judicial basis by the Scottish Parliament, our determination to fight terrorism is clear. It is shown in all the action we have taken since 11 September, it is shown in the support that we have given in Iraq and Afghanistan dealing with problems where terrorism rears its ugly head,” he added. “Our resolve to fight terrorism is absolute, our determination to work with other countries to fight and to root out terrorism is total.
“When I met Colonel Gaddafi over the summer, I made it absolutely clear to him that we had no role in making the decision about al-Megrahi's future. It was a matter over which we could not interfere.”
The Pan Am 103 bomb, which killed 270 people, is the UK's biggest terrorist attack.
Reader views (38)
Gordon should have know that Gadaffi is not to be trusted. So should the idiots who sent the murderer home to make a miracle recovery in the next month or two. Scotch is off my menu. Irish is back on.
- Albert Hall, hove england
hey american wimps,..get over it !!!!
..(thats you comment to us many times over)
Your the scum-bag lowlife race of torturers & rendition clowns who bully & abuse heaps of nations around the world
Bullying Scotland is not new,..you done the same last time when a Scots company won an oil pipe-line order to Russia,..
Jealously & vile tactics rules your evil country,..you snivel and crawl up the Jewish peoples backside so much the past 65 years selling them guns bombs missiles,.WMD etc,. ,..you have lost all sense of pride, ethics, decency & morality.
Your sewer criminal gangster drugs ravaged hill-billy country can never lecture others,..least of all Scotland or Britain as a whole. A nation of lard-ass's with no passports dishing out their morals on the world like a Barbie Bimbo Palin,..LOL
You whinge about Ghadaffi,..yet the CIA meet Bin Laden many times, to shaft the west
You whinge about oil, weapons & trade with Libya,. yet you GIVE for FREE many times weapons to Israeli who acts like a Nazi state
Shame on you !!!!
- A Brown, uk
Lighten up Lads, he is ssving the World! We know because he told us so. What a horrid little toad !
- Ruckus, Myrtle Beach USA
We had Bush, you have Brown! Good luck trying to explain him to the world.
- Pete, USA
Brown vents fury at Gaddafi over bomber's welcome: O come on, what did they expect?
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London
Why do the media, ie the press and Tv le this cowardly man get away with refusing to answer the queations asked of him ? It is time we had a reporter prepared to ush this spineless idiot to siply answer the question he has just been asked and not cosseted. So much for the idea of a free press!
- Duncan Walker, Ex Peckham now Thailand
This is a man who is never able to admit his own mistakes yet he is happy to safely rail against a dictator as if he were a statesman. The whole sorry lot are in a death spiral only Brown and the Labour experiment seem to be in denial. What sickens me is that they are putting party before nation - hoping that Cameron will trip up and save a few Labour MPs - and we are supposed to believe that the cost cutting was planned all along even though the they denied it for weeks and said they would not do so. Its pathetic really pathetic.
- Christian Ball, London, UK
Mr 'invisible' can hide for two days and then come out and say he is repulsed is beyond the joke. Labour is beyond the joke.
Gordon Brown and anything he says or does is an absolute farce.
- Sally King, London
Who do you think you are kidding Mr angry and repulsed?
- Dad, London
It took several days for Brown to make his non-comment on the Scottish Administration's decision, an administration that is still part of the United Kingdom of which he is allegedly PM, but only about 1 hour to congratulate a cricket team on its victory in the Ashes. Says it all really.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK
What on earth did he expect !!!!!
- Bernard Parke, GUILDFORD
This crisis has reinforced everybody's opinion of Brown, that he is just a plonker.
- Dee Jay, Fleet Hampshire
Whilst various churchmen uphold the release/forgiveness of the bomber I always thought forgiveness couldl only come after repentance and the man who murdered 247 innocent people shows no sign of repentance.
- Derek Holmes, Carmarthen Wales
It beggers belief - is Brown really that naive ?? did he really expect Gaddafi to take any notice.......
Apparanty yes - just as naive as that Scots Justice Secretary who fell for it hook line and sinker.
- Tony Heath, Godalming, Surrey
I wonder how many mobile phones were thrown across the room in a hissy fit before his spin meisters convinced him to pretend to take this line.
- Ricky, Hackney, London
Gordon brow he made it absolutely clear (so there was no conversation between the two ) so thats ok then oviously the rest of our country can be rest asured it was not politicley motivated when they spoke about the murderer who killed 286 people to set him free.
- Steven Woodfordgreen, essex england
Too little, too late, Gordon!
- Simon, London
So Brown was angry and repulsed.After days of waiting for him to make a face saving statement, is that the best he can do?If by any chance he tries to pull off the fancy footwork of announcing the Glasgow East bi-election soon,think he will be in severe trouble with not only with relatives of the disaster but also Westminster,the electorate and the rest of the World in what will be perceived as gross abuse of his position and with no regard to the implications and ramifications.......He needs to tread very carefully until the GE!! Terrible man!
- Tithonus, Athens Greece
He always waits to see what the mood is and then goes along with it except when it comes to his premiership!!!
- Patricia, LONDON
They have much in common, neither is in touch with reality and neither was elected to power.
- Bob, Cheam
So yesterday it was a sensitive matter that did not require his comment. But today he is "angry and repulsed". Can the man not make up his own mind about anything?
I notice he is always quick to jump on any celebrity bandwagon that is rolling by, like Susan Boyle or Jade Goody, but has little to say on anything really important. Probably explains why the country is in such a mess if we have to rely on him to run it.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
Our resolve to fight terrorism (pinch your oil) is absolute, our determination to work with other countries to fight and to root out terrorism (pinch your oil) is total.
- Loki, Roskilde, DK
Looking daft in the eyes of the world never bothered Brown and its a role that suits him a treat,he plays the part so well almost as if he were born for it.
- Aufdeutsch, Canterbury Kent England.
Tut, tut! Careful Gordon, we don´t want to jeopardise all those lucrative trade deals, now do we?
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands
Gosh, That will have Gaddafi shaking in his boots!
- Very Very Angry At Paying Tax For Mp'S Expeses, Home Counties
All this was stitched together by Blair long ago, Mandy is de facto prime minister and brown the clown left to carry the can, this country desperately needs nu liebour swept into oblivion at the earliest moment, every day more damage is done to this country. The israel PM a confirmed Arab hater needs to cclean his own house before making comments.
- Alan Davey, London UK
The arrogance of this Scot knows no bounds - does he really think any world leader would listen to him lecturing them: I don;t think so, and love him or hate him, Gaddafi has survived politically for 40 years - plonker Broon won't last 40 months.
- Alan, Essex
How is it that Brown writes a letter to Gaddafi expecting him to uphold promises made to the Scottish government to keep Megrahi's return low key, then in the next breath says this man's return has nothing to do with the UK government??
Go pull the other one, Brown.
- Bingham Macnamara, lymington, hampshire
I support Scotland 100% even though I understand the victims families must be so angry. However, it is their law and they have the right to follow it - whether or not our friends over the pond flex their muscles ad shout. Compassion is something to be proud of and Scotland should be proud of their law. I hope the Americans dont follow through with their boycott news. Its embarassing for them (anyone remember freedom fries). You dont always agree with friends but you respect their decisions... is this friendship 2 way Hilary after what you did with a British Overseas territory ??recently and guantanamo inmates WITHOUT ASKING THE BRITIH GOVERNMENT - yes we were furious but we arent planning on not buying coca-cola!!!
- Dave, Madrid
He's like the CPSO of world politics.
- Ged, Blackheath, London
Another load of blah, blah, blah from the useless windbag Brown. As his constituency is in Scotland surely he is accountable if it was the devolved Scottish Parliament that was responsible for the release of this man. If not, why not?
- Mrs, London UK
And there you have it Gaddafi Is going to have a really sleepless night tonight.As for why do the israelis talk to Brown well he can teach them a lot about saying one thing and doing another
- David Smith, Croydon
Blunder brown makes me cringe whenever he opens his stupid mouth. He is so despicable I can't wait for him to be kicked out next year. Not only is he so pathetic, but so are his advisers. The PM is supposed to be the best representative of a country, but he is by far among the worst.
- Ralph, London
Brown must be very pleased about this whole affair. He has been able to stand back and watch the SNP take all the flak.
Watch out for the Glasgow East by-election being announced very soon now that he thinks the SNP are on the ropes.
- Scotty, Cambridge UK
So the Brown mouse has taken a deep breath and squeaked to roars of laughter. But is anyone, I wonder, listening to the bottler?
- Ted, London
Brown is a serial ditherer and not good at decision making. But he's in a difficult position as the decision to free Megrahi had nothing to do with him. Or so we're led to believe. Whatever he says he'll get flak from someone. Criticising Gaddafi is the safest way out for him.
- Jim, Argyll Scotland
Once again the Brown bashers are out there criticising the pms' Lockerbie silence and questioning his leadership skills.
He will no doubt be preparing a diplomatic and statesmanlike speech addressing the concerns of all sides which will make your suspicions of cover-up, dodgy dealings and cowardice ill founded.
When it is ready he will upload it onto YouTube where you will find it next to the one where he congratulates Susan Boyle on her new hairdo.
ELECTION NOW!!!
- Edgar, London
Gordon Brown is now looking very foolish and cowardly. He is no Statesman.
I don't know why the Israelis even bother meeting him, he has no influence.
- Carl, London
