Ministers on Tuesday insisted the ISIS 'Beatles' are not British any more amidst a major row over the UK refusing to seek assurances they will not be executed in the US. And Prime Minister Theresa May now says she backed the decision not to get death penalty assurances from Washington rather than merely being 'made aware' of it.
When asked if Mrs May approved of the Home Secretary Sajid Javid's decision, a Downing Street spokeswoman initially said she had been 'made aware' of it and the Government opposes the death penalty 'in all circumstances as a matter of principle'.
Number 10 later moved their stance, saying Mrs May 'supports' the Home Secretary's handling of the case and hopes it will end with the two men remaining in prison for the rest of their lives.
'The ultimate aim for all of us in our discussions with the US is to make sure that these men face the rest of their lives in prison. That is also what the victims' families want,' said the Downing Street spokeswoman.
Security Minister Ben Wallace sparked anger in the Commons by telling MPs that seeking the death penalty 'might get in the way' of justice and confirmed for the first time that the notorious jihadis captured in Syria have been stripped of citizenship. He also dismissed concerns that the pair - Alexanda Kotey and Shafee El-Sheikh - are being illegally 'rendered' with approval from the UK authorities, saying they would have the benefit of the 'rule of law and due process' in America.
Mr Wallace told the Commons the 'reality' was that Britain did not have enough evidence to try the jihadis in this country, and there was a better chance of them being brought to justice in the US.
The staunch defence of the government's position came as Home Secretary Sajid Javid faced a major backlash for telling the US he would not seek guarantees that the pair will be spared execution.
A leaked letter from Mr Javid to US Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggested Britain was ready to share intelligence so the pair - can be prosecuted under American laws.
The commitments, made last month according to the Daily Telegraph, drew accusations that Mr Javid had 'unilaterally' scrapped Britain's opposition to the death penalty and torture camp Guantanamo Bay.
Kotey and Shafee El-Sheikh were captured in January earlier this year as they attempted to flee, and are being held by the US-backed Syrian Defence Force.
Shadow Attorney General, Shami Chakrabarti, said not upholding the demand meant Britain was “encouraging this grave human rights abuse” at a time when it should be “persuading countries like the US and Iran to drop” executions.
“Sajid Javid appears to have secretly and unilaterally abandoned Britain’s opposition to the death penalty,” she said.
“By doing so he is not just playing with the lives of these particular terrorists but those of other Britons – including potentially innocent ones – all over the world.”
