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Armed Conflict (Parliamentary Approval)

I do not accept that the justification is completely different. Of course I am aware, as all of us are—how could we not be?—of the deficiency of the intelligence in respect of Iraq, but the opinion that Iraq posed a"““threat…to international peace and security””" by reason of its proliferation of WMD was the opinion of the whole Security Council, unanimously expressed in resolution 1441 in November 2002. Indeed, I have just quoted its exact words. I know that the hon. Gentleman has taken a consistent and honourable position against the war from the start. The action that we are now taking to sustain a democratically elected Government in Iraq follows directly from a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions that, essentially, give us not just that discretion but that duty to do so.