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Jeremy Corbyn says Blair government misled parliament over Iraq war Corbyn apologises after Labour's role in Iraq war 'laid bare' by Chilcot report
(about 2 hours later)
Jeremy Corbyn has accused the previous Labour government of misleading parliament in the run-up to the Iraq war, saying MPs were handed flawed evidence in order to persuade them to back a conflict that has had catastrophic consequences. Jeremy Corbyn apologised on behalf of the Labour party for its role in the 2003 Iraq war, and warned that the people who took the decisions “laid bare in the Chilcot report” must now face up to the consequences.
The party leader, who voted against the 2003 invasion, fell short of naming Tony Blair as he said Iraq “posed no military threat” and dismissed evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction as “flimsy and confected”. The Labour leader, who voted against the 2003 invasion, described the war as the most “serious foreign policy calamity of the last 60 years” as he described meeting families of military servicemen and women who lost loved ones, Iraqi citizens and war veterans.
In a speech at Westminster, Corbyn said: “I apologised to them for the decisions taken by our then government that led this country into a disastrous war.
“It’s a disaster that occurred when my party was in government; 140 of my then colleagues in the parliamentary Labour party opposed it at the time, as did many many party members and trade unionists.”
Corbyn said that many more Britons had said they regretted their votes, which they had cast in loyalty to the Labour government because of the intelligence that today’s report has “confirmed to be false”.
The Labour leader did not name Tony Blair, but said parliament had been misled by a “small number of leading figures in the government” who he said were “none too scrupulous” about how they made their case for war.
“Politicians and political parties can only grow stronger by acknowledging when they get it wrong and by facing up to their mistakes. So I now apologise sincerely on behalf of my party for the disastrous decision to go to war in Iraq in March 2003,” he said.
“That apology is owed first of all to the people of Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, and the country is still living with the devastating consequences of the war and the forces it unleashed.” He said it was those people who had paid the greatest price.
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Corbyn called the war an “act of military aggression”, arguing that it was thought of as illegal “by the overwhelming weight of international legal opinion”. The Labour leader’s apology went further than he had earlier in parliament, when he responded to the Chilcot report after David Cameron. At that point, Corbyn called the war an “act of military aggression”, arguing that it was thought of as illegal “by the overwhelming weight of international legal opinion”.
“It led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions of refugees. It devastated Iraq’s infrastructure and society. The occupation fostered a lethal sectarianism that turned into a civil war. The war fuelled and spread terrorism across the region.”“It led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions of refugees. It devastated Iraq’s infrastructure and society. The occupation fostered a lethal sectarianism that turned into a civil war. The war fuelled and spread terrorism across the region.”
As Corbyn issued his excoriating statement to the House of Commons, he was heckled by his own backbencher Ian Austin, who shouted “sit down and shut up, you’re a disgrace”. As Corbyn issued his excoriating statement to the House of Commons, he was heckled by his own backbencher Ian Austin, who shouted: “Sit down and shut up, you’re a disgrace.”
The Labour leader said the Commons should react to the Chilcot report by remembering Robin Cook, who resigned from his role as foreign secretary on the eve of the invasion after saying he could not accept collective responsibility for the decision.The Labour leader said the Commons should react to the Chilcot report by remembering Robin Cook, who resigned from his role as foreign secretary on the eve of the invasion after saying he could not accept collective responsibility for the decision.
Corbyn credited his former colleague’s resignation as saying more in “a few hundred words what has been confirmed by this report in more than 2m words”. Corbyn said his former colleague’s resignation said in “a few hundred words what has been confirmed by this report in more than 2m words”.
He said the decision to go into war, in a “colonial-style occupation” had “convulsed the entire region” and led to many other disasters. He said the decision to go to war in a “colonial-style occupation” had “convulsed the entire region” and led to many other disasters.
“The government’s September 2002 dossier, that Iraq had WMD that could be deployed in 45 minutes, was only the most notorious of many deceptions,” he said.“The government’s September 2002 dossier, that Iraq had WMD that could be deployed in 45 minutes, was only the most notorious of many deceptions,” he said.
Corbyn responded to a much more cautious statement by the prime minister, who voted in favour of the Iraq war, by saying that the 2011 conflict in Libya had also left the country in the grip of warring militias. Corbyn responded to a much more cautious statement by the prime minister, who voted in favour of the Iraq war, by saying that the 2011 conflict in Libya had also left that country in the grip of warring militias.
David Cameron said that he thought the invasion in Libya was the right thing to do, telling parliament that Britain must never repeat the mistakes of the Iraq war, but should not conclude that intervention is always wrong. Cameron said that he thought the invasion in Libya was the right thing to do. He told parliament that Britain must never repeat the mistakes of the Iraq war, but that the country should not conclude that intervention is always wrong.
Cameron identified a number of lessons the government must learn from after the Chilcot report delivered a devastating critique of the decision to go to war in 2003. He said taking the country to war “should always be a last resort” and officials must be free to question the views of the prime minister. He also said “proper planning for what follows” was vital after the decision to go to war had been taken. Cameron identified a number of lessons the government must learn after the Chilcot report delivered a devastating critique of the decision to go to war in 2003. He said taking the country to war “should always be a last resort”, and that officials must be free to question the views of the prime minister.
“We must all pledge this will never happen again,” he said, noting that all MPs who voted as he did in favour of the war must take their share of responsibility. “We cannot turn the clock back.” He also said “proper planning for what follows” was vital after the decision to go to war had been taken.
He stressed there were lessons that the UK should not draw. He maintained that the UK must stand with its American allies where they have common interests, and that the public should still be able to rely on the “judgments of our brilliant intelligence agencies”. “We must all pledge this will never happen again,” he said, noting that all MPs who voted in favour of the war must take their share of responsibility. “We cannot turn the clock back.”
He stressed there were lessons on which the UK should not draw. He maintained that the UK must stand with its American allies where they have common interests, and that the public should still be able to rely on the “judgments of our brilliant intelligence agencies”.
“It would also be wrong to conclude our military are not capable of intervening successfully,” he said, citing Sierra Leone as an example where military action ended with a positive outcome.“It would also be wrong to conclude our military are not capable of intervening successfully,” he said, citing Sierra Leone as an example where military action ended with a positive outcome.
Cameron took questions in the House, but said parliament would discuss the Chilcot report over two days next week. He criticised the culture in government that prevented Blair from being challenged by other ministers or civil servants, insisting that new structures meant that there was no question that people could question his authority without “fear or favour”. Cameron took questions in the Commons, but said parliament would discuss the Chilcot report over two days next week. He criticised the culture in the government that prevented Blair from being challenged by other ministers or civil servants, insisting that new structures meant there was no question that people could question his authority without “fear or favour”.
He cited the National Security Council set up by the coalition government after the 2010 election as an example of new methods of decision-making. He cited the National Security Council, set up by the coalition government after the 2010 election, as an example of new methods of decision-making.
Angus Robertson, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, said he believed the Iraq war was the country’s “most shameful foreign policy action in decades”. He said it was remarkable that the prime minister did not mention the note sent by Blair to George W Bush in July 2002 which said: “I will be with you, whatever”. Angus Robertson, the SNP’s leader in Westminster, said he believed the Iraq war was the country’s “most shameful foreign policy action in decades”. He said it was remarkable that the prime minister did not mention the note sent by Blair to George W Bush in July 2002that said: “I will be with you, whatever.”
The SNP politician said the country had continued to show poor decisions in planning, citing not just Iraq but Libya, Syria and also Brexit. “When will the UK government actually start learning from the mistakes of the past rather than being condemned to repeat them in the future?” he asked. Robertson said the country had continued to show poor decisions in planning, citing not only Iraq but also Libya, Syria and Brexit. “When will the UK government actually start learning from the mistakes of the past rather than being condemned to repeat them in the future?” he asked.
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Cameron said it was not possible for planning to be foolproof. “What John Chilcot says about the failure to plan is very, very clear,” he said.Cameron said it was not possible for planning to be foolproof. “What John Chilcot says about the failure to plan is very, very clear,” he said.
“There is actually no set of arrangements and plans that can provide perfection in any of these cases,” he went on. “We can argue whether military intervention is ever justified, and I think it is, but planning for the aftermath is always difficult. I don’t think in this house we should be naive in any way that there’s a perfect set of plans that can solve these problems in perpetuity. There aren’t.” “There is actually no set of arrangements and plans that can provide perfection in any of these cases,” he went on. “We can argue whether military intervention is ever justified, and I think it is, but planning for the aftermath is always difficult.
“I don’t think in this house we should be naive in any way that there’s a perfect set of plans that can solve these problems in perpetuity. There aren’t.”
Margaret Beckett, who was in Blair’s cabinet during the invasion, appeared close to tears as she said those who voted for the war “are responsible and should take responsibility for our own individual decisions, albeit taken in good faith on the basis of evidence before us”.Margaret Beckett, who was in Blair’s cabinet during the invasion, appeared close to tears as she said those who voted for the war “are responsible and should take responsibility for our own individual decisions, albeit taken in good faith on the basis of evidence before us”.
But Beckett said it was also important to stress that “the men of hatred and death in al-Qaeda and Daesh-Isil [Islamic State] should take responsibility for their actions and for the blood and horror they inflict on others”. But Beckett said it was also important to stress that “the men of hatred and death in al-Qaida and Daesh-Isil [Islamic State] should take responsibility for their actions and for the blood and horror they inflict on others”.
Cameron said he agreed. “I speak as someone who as a relatively new backbencher sitting up there, listening to the arguments and coming to my own conclusions, and I think that anyone who voted for the conflict should take their share of responsibility. Cameron said he agreed. “I speak as someone who, as a relatively new backbencher sitting up there, listening to the arguments and coming to my own conclusions, and I think that anyone who voted for the conflict should take their share of responsibility.
“I don’t choose to go back and say ‘well, if I knew then what I know now … ’ and all the rest of it. I just think you make a decision, you defend it at the time and then you have to live with the consequences and bear your share of responsibility, that’s certainly the position I take.” “I don’t choose to go back and say: ‘Well, if I knew then what I know now …’ and all the rest of it. I just think you make a decision, you defend it at the time and then you have to live with the consequences and bear your share of responsibility; that’s certainly the position I take.”