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Iraq (Basra Incident)

My hon. Friend can be reassured that since I began this job, our commitment to Iraq has been at the forefront of my mind. It is constantly in my mind. Whatever our respective positions may be on whether we should have engaged in the war in the first place, the fact is that we are in Iraq now, under the terms of United Nations resolution 1637, and we have a specific job to do in that context, along with our allies. I look to my hon. Friend, and other Members, to support those whom we charge with the responsibility of carrying out that task in very dangerous circumstances. The four elements of the exit strategy set out by my predecessor, the present Home Secretary, in the House and elsewhere appear to me to provide a template for an appropriate withdrawal, and not to lend themselves to demands, such as my hon. Friend’s, for a specific timetable. I am sure I shall learn more about whether this is the case, but I suggest to my hon. Friend that it is arguable that we would put our troops in danger if we did what he has invited me to do. With respect, I must correct my hon. Friend, in that I am not aware that any part of my statement reflected, in any sense, the ages of any possible casualties in the group who were involved in the disorder surrounding the incident. I give my hon. Friend the answer that I have given others: I am not in a position to confirm the age, or any other details, of anyone who may have been a casualty in that crowd.