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Iraq Inquiry

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. and learned Member for Medway (Mr. Marshall-Andrews), who made a fine speech. There have been many fine speeches from those arguing in favour of the motions, although not so many from those who oppose them. I shall begin as others have, by paying tribute to 175 British troops who have been killed in the Iraq war. I pay tribute, too, to the 4,000 US troops and the countless thousands of Iraqi civilians who have also died. The decisions that we made on 18 March 2003 are the most momentous that I have witnessed in my relatively short parliamentary career, but I am glad to say that I believe that, when history looks back, I and others will be found to have been on the right side. I have always been interested in what Lady Macmillan said at the time of Suez. It was to the effect that, for several weeks, she felt as though the Suez canal went through her drawing room.