Tom Watson goes on hunger strike in solidarity with Guantánamo prisoners

Tom Watson, the deputy Labour leader, is now on hunger strike in solidarity with two prisoners of Guantánamo Bay.

Mr Watson wrote in the Guardian that "this is not some George Osborne-inspired weight-loss plan" as he explained why he is not going to eat.

He said the only thing that will pass his lips is water because prisoners Ahmed Rabbani and Khalid Qasim have reportedly been without food for 26 days.

The two prisoners are on hunger strike in protest over "a decade of torture, injustice and indifference", and Mr Watson claims the detention centre has stopped feeding them.

The deputy leader wrote that the two have been denied medical treatment or monitoring and are at risk of death, and are not being force-fed anymore.

He is calling on Theresa May to use her influence to "save the lives" of Rabbani and Qasim, and has asked others to join him in his hunger strike.

Guantánamo Bay used to force-feed prisoners who suffered severe weight loss with a tube into the nose.

However, this practice has allegedly now been halted.

Major Ben Sakrisson, a spokesman, told The Guardian: “There has not been a change in policy. Existing policy is just being reinforced with our personnel.

“In some instances in the past, attempts to provide detainees who claimed that they were on hunger strike with a measure of dignity through voluntary enteral feedings unintentionally created a situation that potentially encouraged future hunger strikes. As a result, the pre-existing standard of medical necessity will be enforced in the future.”

Khalid Qasim, originally from Yemen, has been detained at Guantánamo for over 15 years, while Ahmed Rabbani, a citizen of Pakistan, has been detained at for over 12 years.

Both have used the materials they could find in Guantánamo to create art, which is displayed online.