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Iraq

I will give way a few more times later, but I must make some progress first. The argument put to the press by the Prime Minister’s spokesman in the last 24 hours that if the Government were to open the door to an inquiry with such a time scale it would damage the morale or performance of our troops who are in Iraq at the moment does not bear serious scrutiny. Many of our troops—currently facing a very difficult situation in Basra, with the British consulate under mortar attack in the last few days, and doing an heroic job in very difficult circumstances—will want to know that politicians of all parties have studied the Iraq war in great detail, so that decisions can be made in the future from which they and their colleagues will benefit. Furthermore, it was the Chief of the General Staff himself who said two weeks ago:"““we need to reflect on what has happened over the previous three years. It has proved more difficult than expected.””" That is precisely what an inquiry in the future would be able to do. He also said—and this is a stronger criticism than anything that has been said from the Opposition Front Bench—"““the fact we are still there is leading to problems””." General Dannatt may have been stretching his relationship with the Government, but no one has suggested that he was undermining the morale of the troops by making those points, and that accusation should not be made against other people who make those points. I will now give way to the right hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Jane Kennedy).