William Hague on Monday (June 10) denied claims that Britain's security agencies had been circumventing UK law by using information gathered on British citizens by PRISM, a secret U.S. eavesdropping program.

"The government deplores the leaking of any classified information, wherever it occurs. Such leaks can make the work of maintaining the security of our own country and that of our allies more difficult," Foreign Secretary, William Hague said.

"It has been suggested that GCHQ uses our partnership with the United States to get around UK law, obtaining information that they can not legally obtain in the United Kingdom. I wish to be absolutely clear that this accusation is baseless. Any data obtained by us from the United States involving UK nationals is subject to proper UK statutory controls and safeguards, including the relevant sections of the Intelligence Services Act, the Human Rights Act and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act," he said.

"Our agencies practice and uphold UK law at all times. Even when dealing with information from outside the United Kingdom," he added.