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MPs to debate Tony Blair Iraq role investigation MPs reject Tony Blair Iraq investigation
(1 day later)
The SNP is calling for an investigation into "misleading information" presented by Tony Blair in the build-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. MPs have rejected a call for an investigation into Tony Blair's role in the build-up to the Iraq war.
It will lead a Commons debate on Wednesday, which it says is designed "to prevent any repetition" of a "disastrous series of events". The SNP's motion said the former Labour prime minister had not given Parliament correct information on his dealings with US President George W Bush.
It is not yet clear if Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will be asking the party's MPs to oppose the motion. MP Alex Salmond said the push towards war in 2003 had been "very much a personal campaign" by Mr Blair.
The Iraq War remains controversial in the party, which Mr Blair led. But Labour's shadow foreign office minister Fabian Hamilton warned against making him a "scapegoat".
The Commons motion, to be introduced by SNP MP and former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, says the Iraq inquiry "provided substantial evidence of misleading information being presented by the then prime minister and others on the development of the then government's policy towards the invasion" in 2003. The current Conservative government also said there was no need for an investigation.
The Iraq Inquiry, led by Sir John Chilcot, found Mr Blair had overstated the threat posed by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, had sent ill-prepared troops into battle and had "wholly inadequate" plans for the aftermath. The US-led invasion of Iraq began in March 2003 and the UK, which lost 179 military personnel in the conflict, ended its combat role in 2009.
'Further action' MPs rejected the SNP's House of Commons motion, calling for an investigation into Mr Blair's pre-Iraq war role by the Justice Committee, by 439 to 70 - a margin of 369 votes.
The SNP says the inquiry's release of a note from Mr Blair to US President George W Bush in 2002, saying "I'll be with you, whatever", proves that he misled MPs about his intentions. 'Grievously misled'
The party's motion mentions a "contrast between private correspondence to the United States government and public statements to Parliament and people and also in the presentation of intelligence information". Mr Salmond, a former Scottish First Minister, said it was a "question of parliamentary accountability" and "that an examination of statements made to Parliament and public, against the facts as we now know them, would be a valuable additional sanction and tool in restraining future prime ministers from any such course of events".
The motion also urges the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee of the House "to conduct a further specific examination of this contrast in public and private policy and of the presentation of intelligence". Mr Blair had "grievously misled" the public "into that disastrous conflict", he added.
It should then say what "further action they consider necessary and appropriate to help prevent any repetition of this disastrous series of events", it adds. The Iraq Inquiry, led by Sir John Chilcot and published in July, found the former prime minister had overstated the threat posed by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, had sent ill-prepared troops into battle and had "wholly inadequate" plans for the aftermath.
There were reportedly angry scenes at the meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on Monday night over what to do in response to the SNP's motion. The SNP said the inquiry's release of a note from Mr Blair to US President George W Bush in 2002, saying "I'll be with you, whatever", proved that he had misled MPs about his intentions.
It is understood that the leadership, under Jeremy Corbyn - a prominent opponent of the war - wanted to impose a single-line whip to vote against the motion. This is the least stringent sanction on MPs, effectively meaning they could back the SNP's call without punishment. But, during the three-hour Commons debate, ex-Conservative Chancellor Ken Clarke suggested a focus on Mr Blair risked relegating the issue of ensuring that such a "catastrophic foreign policy decision" was not repeated.
Some supporters of Mr Blair were opposed to this idea. He told Mr Salmond: "As you are aware, I agree with you about your descriptions of the catastrophic nature of the invasion of Iraq and I agree with you that the former prime minister has a lot to answer for and no doubt will continue to do so although he was cleared by Chilcot of deliberate misbehaviour."
'Very, very clear' 'Collective failure'
It has since been reported that the shadow cabinet has rejected imposing a far stronger three-line whip, to the further annoyance of the Blair supporters. But, for the government, Cabinet Office minister Chris Skidmore said there was "no merit" in further inquiries into the Iraq war, and the Chilcot report contained "nothing" which pointed to "deliberate deceit" of Parliament by Mr Blair.
BBC political correspondent Eleanor Garnier said there had been internal accusations of "total confusion/shambles" and that the offices or Mr Corbyn and Labour chief whip Nick Brown were engaged in a "massive row". He added: "But there were clearly occasions where more information or better information could have been presented.
MPs will debate and vote on the motion - which is also supported by Plaid Cymru, the Green Party's Caroline Lucas, Conservative Sir David Amess and Labour's Kate Hoey - on Wednesday afternoon. "As for how people should account for themselves, it is for them to read the report and explain why they did what they did."
One Labour MP said the view at the Parliamentary Labour Party meeting had been "very, very clear to have a three-line whip against the SNP". They added that "whether you were for or against the Iraq War is not what tomorrow is about. It's about whether [Mr Blair] lied, and Chilcot did not find he lied." Labour's Mr Hamilton said: "There are many serious lessons to learn from the Chilcot report... but in terms of learning those lessons, we will do ourselves and future governments no favours if we spend even more time in this House and in the committee rooms examining contentions that the Chilcot report and four other inquiries - at exhaustive length - have already found to be incorrect.
The US-led invasion of Iraq began in March 2003. The UK, which lost 179 military personnel in the conflict, ended its combat role in 2009. "Nor will any of us benefit if we continue to try and turn a collective institutional and international failure in Iraq into an attempt to pillory or scapegoat one individual."
There had been doubts over the attitude of Labour's frontbench to the motion with calls for leader Jeremy Corbyn - a prominent opponent of the war - to order the party's MPs to vote against.
After the Chilcot report was published in July, Mr Blair, who led Labour to three general election victories, apologised for intelligence assessments having been "wrong".After the Chilcot report was published in July, Mr Blair, who led Labour to three general election victories, apologised for intelligence assessments having been "wrong".
But he defended the decision to go to war, saying "there were no lies. Parliament and cabinet were not misled. There was no secret commitment to war. Intelligence was not falsified and the decision was made in good faith". But he defended the decision to go to war, saying that "there were no lies. Parliament and cabinet were not misled. There was no secret commitment to war. Intelligence was not falsified and the decision was made in good faith".