The Government has stepped up its criticism of America's prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In the most outspoken attack to date by a senior minister, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, denounced the base as a "recruiting agent" for terrorism.

Among the 460 detainees is former Brighton resident Omar Deghayes, who has been held for more than four years without charge.

Lord Falconer, speaking on BBC 1's Question Time, said: "I think that Guantanamo Bay is a recruiting agent for those who would attack all our values.

"We live by the rule of law. What Guantanamo Bay is doing is placing people beyond the rule of law, which I think is intolerable and wrong. It should never have been opened and it should be closed."

His intervention follows the suicide last weekend of three of the detainees. The Lord Chancellor said the Government had made "a judgement" by choosing to press the US to close the facility "behind the scenes" rather than criticise it publicly.

Recent public comments by Government ministers suggest they have now ditched that failed policy in favour of speaking out.

Theresa May, the Conservative's shadow Commons leader, said: "The Government should have been willing to come out and say at an earlier stage it should be closed.

"If we don't abide by the rule of law ourselves then we damage our cause."

Last month, the Attorney General described the base as "unacceptable" and called for it to be closed. Prime Minister Tony Blair has been more muted, simply calling it an "anomaly".

In a separate development, David Lepper, MP for Brighton Pavilion, branded the camp "a moral disgrace" and accused the US of lacking respect for human rights.

The Labour MP has signed a Commons motion calling for the base's immediate closure.

It reads: "The camp is hindering the efforts of the allies in the battle for hearts and minds and may be aiding fundamentalist propaganda."