BRITISH soldiers could have been put at risk by the publication of photographs purporting to show Iraqi prisoners being tortured, says a Kent MP.

Faversham and Mid Kent MP Hugh Robertson (Con), who served in the first Gulf war, said the decision of the Mirror newspaper to run a series of pictures could have jeopardised the safety of coalition troops.

He said: “On the face of it, the photos are horrific and go against everything that is central to the values of the British armed forces.

"However, if there is any suggestion they are fake and that the Mirror has not checked their provenance carefully, then the paper will have directly put at risk serving men and women.

“As to their impact on the wider Arab world, on the face of things it appears very bad news. But talking to those who are serving in Iraq, the feeling there is that those who are already against the coalition will have had that opinion strengthened, while those who support the coalition will wait for the outcome of the investigation."

The MP said his first instinct on seeing the photos was that they were real but when he looked at them more closely, he had doubts.

He pointed out the soldiers were using weapons without slings and there were inconsistencies in the way they wore their uniforms.

Meanwhile, Kent Labour MP Derek Wyatt said that if the photographs were fake, Mirror editor Piers Morgan would have to resign.

Mr Wyatt, a member of the backbench culture and media committee, said: “If they are false, I hope that Trinity Mirror [the paper’s owner] will fire the editor.”