A huge political row appeared to be brewing last night after it emerged that neither the Governor nor the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) were consulted over a decision to bring four Chinese Muslims to Bermuda after their release from Guantánamo Bay.

The four men arrived yesterday after an overnight in a flight direct from Cuba, accompanied by Home Affairs Minister David Burch.

The decision to grant them asylum on the Island was revealed in a 9 a.m. press conference by Premier Ewart Brown, who said he met with Governor Sir Richard Gozney yesterday morning to discuss the issue.

He said: "He is seeking to further assess the ramifications of this move before allowing the Government of Bermuda to fully implement this action. Our colonial relationship with the United Kingdom certainly gives him licence to do so."

However, a statement from the FCO appeared to rebuke the Bermuda Government for going ahead with the relocation. A spokesman said: "The UK fully supports President [Barack] Obama's decision to close Guantánamo. We can confirm that four former Guantánamo detainees have arrived in Bermuda.

"This is a decision of the Bermuda Government. The Government of Bermuda is supervising the four. They do not have travel documents, We are helping the Government of Bermuda to make a security assessment.

"The Bermuda Government considers this to be a matter regarding their day-to-day responsibility for immigration.

"We've underlined to the Bermuda Government that it should have consulted the UK on whether this falls within their competence or is a security issue for which the Bermuda Government do not have delegated responsibility.

"We have made clear to the Bermuda Government the need for a security assessment which we are now helping them carry out. The four do not have travel documents and will not be able to travel to the UK.

"We are working with the Government of Bermuda to address all the issues that arise from this."

And in a short statement, Sir Richard said: "Yes it was done without permission and the Government of Bermuda should have consulted with us because it carries with it foreign policy ground areas and security issues.

"We will now need to assess these four individuals. We are working with the Government of Bermuda to address these issues. There are two parts to it, the assessing of the individuals and the other is assessing the implications.

"I am not going to pass judgment on it. We are talking to the Premier."

The issue was further confused following conflicting reports about consultation between the US and the UK.

According to ABC News yesterday, one US official said the deal to send the Uighurs to Bermuda "came together very quickly" and another senior State Department official said talks began with Bermuda late last month. Great Britain was only informed of the plans yesterday, the official said.

ABC News reported that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke on the phone yesterday morning with her British counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

Mrs. Clinton's spokesman Ian Kelly said the two discussed the transfer, but declined to reveal the tenor of the conversation.

And another US report quoted a State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, as saying that Washington negotiated the release of the four Uighurs directly with Bermuda's Government on the understanding it was consulting Bermuda's British-appointed Governor.

The report said that when asked if US authorities had consulted the British Government, the official said: "We did talk to them before the Uighurs got on the plane."

Last night the British Press was interpreting the FCO statement as being extremely angry. A Times Online story began: "The British Government responded with ill-disguised fury tonight to the news that four Chinese Uighurs freed from Guantánamo Bay had been flown for resettlement on the Atlantic tourist paradise of Bermuda."

The Daily Telegraph said: "Britain reacted with anger today when Bermuda announced it had agreed to take in four Guantánamo Bay detainees."

And the Daily Mail said: "The Foreign Office has responded with ill-disguised fury tonight after it emerged that Britain's oldest colony has done a deal behind its back with the US to accept four Guantánamo detainees."