“Trade is important not only to the prosperity of the UK but to Sri Lanka and its people. However, the UK’s commitment to free trade goes hand in hand with our commitment to human rights. That point has been made volubly.”

“We continue to urge Sri Lanka to co-operate and ensure the protection of those providing evidence to the investigation, and to implement the recommendation of its own internal commission on resettlement and rehabilitation.”

“The UK Government’s position on this is that it is premature to do anything more prior to the UN reporting on the matter, and we are expecting the UN’s report in March 2015. When we receive it, it will be appropriate for the Government to take a view of which, if any, of those recommendations should be taken up.”

The deputy general secretary of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has declared his support for incumbent, President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential election next month.

Speaking at the SLFP headquarters earlier today, Udaya Gammanpila said he could not support the attempts by the UNP to regain power as he feels they will divide the country.

Gammanpila said he will resign from the JHU and join Rajapaksa’s SLFP as he could not support some of the pledges made by the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has claimed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked about the chain of command in the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Speaking at his first election rally in Anuradhapura, Rajapaksa said this gave a “strong indication” that some sections of the international community were attempting to prosecute officials in Sri Lanka’s military.

Rajapaksa will face the opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election next month and both camps have used the rejection of the international probe into war crimes as a key tenet of their campaign.

The president said he would never allow any member of the security forces to be taken to the ICC.

"Sri Lankan government will not bow down for foreign interventions in the matter of the war victory," Rajapaksa said, adding that he will not permit a “foreign force” to jeopardise the political stability in Sri Lanka.