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Brown set to delay decision over inquiry into Iraq war
Joe Murphy, Political Editor18.12.08
GORDON BROWN was today expected to reject calls for an immediate independent inquiry into the Iraq war.
The Prime Minister was facing pressure in the Commons where he was making a statement on the withdrawal of British troops by the end of next July.
Opposition MPs accused him of stalling on an inquiry and were demanding commitments that it would be fully independent and held in public.
But Mr Brown was expected to tell them that it was too soon to make announcements because service personnel were still tied up in Iraq. "There is no change to our position that this is not the right time to hold an inquiry," said an official. Mr Brown has previously indicated he supports an inquiry when military operations have ended but has not said who would conduct it, how much powers it would have, whether it would sit in public or what its terms of reference would be.
The Prime Minister's statement came after yesterday's announcement of a timetable for withdrawal of 4,100 remaining troops around Basra, between May and 31 July.
The war began with the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein and a key question for an inquiry is why and when Tony Blair agreed to George Bush's plan. Other key issues cover criticism of the lack of planning for the occupation, when Iraqi society disintegrated into fighting, allowing insurgents to become stronger. Commons leader Harriet Harman said: "We've had a number of inquiries into Iraq and the Prime Minister has said there will be no further inquiries until our troops are all returning home."
But shadow foreign secretary William Hague insisted: "The Government has delayed for years and now the learning of lessons that may be relevant to Afghanistan and elsewhere can no longer be delayed."
No 10 said there had already been four inquiries into aspects of the war, two by select committees, one by Lord Hutton into the David Kelly tragedy and another by Lord Butler into the use of intelligence. But Oppositon MPs and many Labour backbenchers want the next inquiry to examine the "origins and conduct" of the war, giving it a very wide remit to look into the early talks between Mr Blair and President Bush on the strategy for invading Iraq.
They hope it will finally answer questions about the way the case for war was made involving allegations that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, which turned out not to exist.
Many are convinced that the issue was exaggerated to give legal cover to an invasion that was actually driven by motives kept secret from the public, such as control of oil.
Reader views (19)
I thought that we should have this enquiry into what Crash Gordon is doing and really has done the last 10 years.
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
An enquiry - what will it reveal? Probably nothing much that is not already out in the public domain, or what a good 'guess-timate' by the intelligent that has already been worked out for themselves from the press leaks and other pundits airng their views over the years.
- Uncle Vanya, Chelmsford England
Inquiry? By all means "inquire". That is what used to be called "historical research". Who is stopping you? Do you think the government has a monopoly on historical research now? Do you think the government has a pack of secrets that will explain everything, but which they will only reveal if there is an "inquiry"? The cards are on the table. People can make their own minds up about what happened without a government inquiry, they usually do. But perhaps there should be a counter-inquiry, too. An inquiry into the fickle public and what fills it with bombast and moral outrage whenever an unpleasant stone is lifted in a faraway land and ugly creatures once hidden start to wriggle in view.
- Bloke, London
Ideally there should be a public inquiry into the war in Iraq before a General Election but devious Brown won't allow that he lacks the courage. Which is funny really as he wrote a book about courage.
- Steve.W, B'ham UK
Yes, there MUST be a full, completely comprehensive and totally independent Public Inquiry into every aspect of our government's forcing Britain's invasion of Iraq and the Iraq war.
No more "narrow inquiries" . . . The British public deserve both "transparency" and the "truth".
If there have been cover-ups then ALL those responsible and involved MUST face stiff jail terms etc.
Finally, once the resolution of this mess is put in motion the Britsh public also deserves a full, completely comprehensive and totally independent Public Inquiry into the BAE scandal.
- Fraser, Telford Park
It is undestandable that Mr BROWN who has obtained a position far ahead of his ability is going to protect the person who ensured that he got promoted.
- Ed, london
Blair- Brown-Lady Mandy, forget any enquirey it will never take place.
- Alex, brighton
I have no idea whether the Labour Government murdered Dr Kelly,but they have certainly murdered truth and plain dealing. The whole corrupt nest of them needs to be rooted out.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK
In the comment by John Hunt he uses a great example of
simplified spelling. The word debark should enter the
language.
- M Wilkinson, London UK
An enquiry why? Oh yeah to hide the truth and white wash the history of the murders commited in our name aka The Hutton enquiry!!!!!!!!!!!
- Lloyd, Solihull
If it was found that the PM Blair was given deliberately wrong information by his advisors, and that his advisors gave him that information knowing it to be dodgy. Would these advisors not have committed an act of treason?
That is why they won’t hold an inquiry.
- Paul, Lincoln, England
WHY is anyone surprised by this - par for the course.
- Malcolm, London
Here we go once again, of course Brown and Labour will delay an inquiry into the Iraq war, if a truly independent commission is given the task, without access to the usual tanks of white wash, then Tony Blair will be heading for the Hague on charges of war crimes, and Labour are finished. No doubt the wicked witch is already doing the legal work, most likely paid for by Brown and co. It really is so obcene what the lies of Blair created.
- Mark Devries, Bangkok Thailand
It seems very odd to me that our Judicial System chooses to ignore the gravamen of the circumstances that took this country to the invasion of Iraq and all the inhumanity occurring therewith. A retired Lord Chief Justice of England chose to wait until his retirement before announcing his forebodings about the legality of the matter. One wonders why the Law Lords do not commence an investigation of the matter. The conduct of the law of this country is not totally in the hands of governments.
- Robert El-Cid,, Hull, East Yorks.,
An enquiry?
There should be.
But there won't be.
British democracy will see to that.
- Gordon M, Gerrards Cross, Bucks
A government that murdered David Kelly will have no compunction in lying.
- Neil, london uk, Airstrip ONE .
Of course Brown will seek to delay any meaningful Inquiry into all aspects of the "illegal" war in Iraq (declared so by a senior judge), as he was one of those who is responsible for the invasion and occupation of the country.
I don't accept that we had any right to overthrow the odious regime in Iraq - after all in the 1980s both the USA and Britain wholeheartedly supported Saddam Hussein in his bloody war against Iran - doing the USA's dirty work, and he was no less odious then. The fact is he wasn't the USA's puppet any more, and for that reason and the fact they wanted his oil he had to go.
- Neil, Gloucestershire, England.
So, to what extent has the troops remained in Iraq as a fig leaf to avoid implementing an inquiry into this poor excuse for a government's conduct in invading Iraq?
- Bingham Macnamara, lymington, hants
I am not surprised that G Brown is trying to delay an enquirey into the reasons for invading Iraq. It must be obvious to everyone that the country was conned into it by our unlamented PM T Bliar and the majority of the House of Commons backed him up. After tens of thousands of Iraqi deaths & hundreds of British service people killed it must be galling to those left behind to know that T Bliar is now making millions out of this debark.
- John Hunt, alton/uk
