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Iraq Inquiry

No, I am not giving way. I will give way to the hon. Gentleman in a short while, so that he can extensively quote himself again. The hon. Member for Mid-Norfolk demonstrated that there was no precedent for conducting an inquiry while our troops were still deployed. The principle must surely be that while our men and women in uniform remain in theatre, we must prioritise their operations—or are we too impatient to put their work first? I know what I intend to put first. Our priority in Iraq is to see a fully functioning democratic state—a state that is stable, that serves the interests of all the people of Iraq, that has a healthy economy, and that provides effective services. Those essential parts of Iraq's future will develop only in a secure environment. That is why British armed forces are now focused on training and mentoring the Iraqi security forces. Those facts are not disputed; it is only the events and decisions that caused them that are disputed. Yes, we will need to look back at those events and decisions, but not now.