![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/Ben-Wallace-4956767.jpg?r=1694563589810\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Former defence secretary Ben Wallace has condemned the \u201clunacy\u201d of human rights laws that prevent Britain from carrying out raids abroad to capture terrorist suspects.<\/p>\n
Speaking for the first time since he quit his Cabinet role, he said the UK was being forced to kill \u201cenemies of Britain\u201d – or leave them to continue plotting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He told a national newspaper: \u201cWhen we have a threat to the UK, this lunacy of being unable to render people across borders or arrest people in countries whose police forces are unacceptable, means that we are more often than not forced into taking lethal action than actually raiding and detaining.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> Brexiteer calls for ‘simple’ new law to deal with ECHR problem<\/strong><\/p>\n Under international law, missions that could result in the rendition of a suspect \u2013 meaning their extrajudicial transfer from one country to another \u2013 are not permitted, explained Wallace.\u00a0 He said in his time as defence secretary, he \u201ccame across plots\u201d and \u201ctook action\u201d, but would have liked to have had more options.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a number of individuals who pose an imminent threat to the UK, who I would prefer to have captured, rather than deal with by a strike,\u201d Mr Wallace said.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cIf there was an Isis plot in some Central African country for example, under international law we have the right to take action with or without permission from the host nation, but we couldn\u2019t capture the bad guys \u2013 we could only kill them.\u201d<\/p>\n He also\u00a0told The Telegraph:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not going so far as saying we should scrap the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights), but unless the international human rights bandwagon recognises the world we live in today is transnational, and technology has enabled like never before, far from guarding people\u2019s rights, we\u2019ll drive people to take more extreme measures.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> \u201cIf you care about human rights, then you need to update yourself, because otherwise the option is, they\u2019re dead. Surely you want them to have a trial in front of an independent judiciary and jury?\u201d<\/p>\n He said the UK would not have been able to carry out a raid like the one in Pakistan that killed\u00a0Osama bin Laden.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Wallace said: “If we had found Osama bin Laden, we could not have done what the Americans did. We could not have done that type of raid.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did have the right to deal with an imminent threat. We could have thrown a tomahawk missile. If we\u2019d done the American model, where they flew in by heli, I would currently be told you can\u2019t do that, because we can\u2019t render them out of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallace announced in July that he would resign from the role of Defence Secretary. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak replaced him with Grant Shapps last month.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n
Moscow rocked by explosions and fire near Russian TV network tower[BREAKING] <\/strong>
Thousands dead after Mediterranean storm washes away city[WORLD NEWS] <\/strong>
Putin claims UK involved in nuclear plant plot as he turns to North Korea[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n