Liberal Democrats put Iraq back on political agenda

4.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 25th Apr 2005

Liberal Democrats put Iraq back on the political agenda

Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy, with Sir Menzies Campbell and Shirley Williams, have today called for a full public inquiry into the way the Prime Minister took the country to war, along the lines of the Franks Inquiry after the Falklands War. This should be an inquiry that examines the full political, legal and strategic advice given to the Ministers before the war, and the decisions taken on the basis of that advice.

Raising the possibility of a Labour victory being seen as a green light for pre-emptive strikes against Iran, Charles has warned that "Iraq deserves to be a central issue in this election, not only because of what has happened, but because of what may yet come to pass".

Menzies Campbell said "Since the Prime Minister called the election, at least 140 people are reported to have been killed in Iraq. In the previous month, attacks on coalition forces were averaging 45 a day. Iraq was the defining issue of the last Parliament. It cannot be air-brushed from the election debate. Even if Labour and the Conservatives are loath to mention the war, as we canvas for votes, it is rare that Iraq is not mentioned in some context or another. Even among those who believe that the removal of Saddam justified military action, there is a deep and lasting resentment over the way the Government took Britain to war."

Blair told war could be illegal. The Attorney General's advice on the Iraq War was revealed in yesterday's Mail on Sunday. Sir Menzies Campbell on Mail on Sunday report said "There is nothing in this that anyone who has followed this issue closely did not know or had not inferred. We have known for some time that he did say that war could be illegal in written advice on the 7th March. The question is how did he get from there to his answer on 17th March when he said it was legal. It is how that progress was made that is in question."

Sir Menzies further said "The election is now becoming a referendum on whose judgement you can trust - and in particular the judgement shown by both Tony Blair and Michael Howard in backing George Bush's war in Iraq on the basis of claims about the threat of weapons of mass destruction. As we have said many times, the Attorney-General's advice on the legality of the war must now be published in full. People have a right to see it before they are expected to cast their votes."