7th November 2006

A shameful vote in the House of Commons: a motion in parliament demanding an inquiry into the Iraq war was lost by 25 votes. Incredibly only 12 Labour MPs not including David Drew or Parmjit Dhanda supported the call for an inquiry.

On Tuesday 31 October MPs missed an historic opportunity to pass judgement on the Iraq war. 

Cllr Philip Booth, a spokesperson for Stroud District Green party said: "This was the first full debate in over two years on the war that has cost the lives of 650,000 Iraqi civilians and 120 British soldiers. Polls have consistently shown that a large majority of people in Britain both oppose the war and want the troops brought home. Had the motion for an inquiry been won it would have hastened the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and brought closer the time when the Prime Minister could be held to account for the lies and deception that took us to war in the first place."

Philip Booth said: "David Drew and Parmjit Dhanda have shamefully put party loyalty over the interests of the people of Iraq and the vast majority of people in this country (ii)."

Philip Booth added: "There surely cannot be a more serious moment for democratic scrutiny than when a government is involved in a controversial and dangerous foreign war. Neither the Hutton nor Butler Inquiries addressed the question if the Parliament and country were misled into this bloody conflict. It is essential for the credibility of our democracy that we establish what combination of deception, delusion and ineptitude carried us down this fateful path."


Notes

(i) The text of the motion is based on Early Day Motion 1088: "That this House believes that there should be a select committee of seven honourable Members, being members of Her Majesty’s Privy Council, to review the way in which the responsibilities of government were discharged in relation to Iraq and all matters relevant thereto, in the period leading up to military action in that country in March 2003 and in its aftermath."

See who voted for motion:
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/_Current/Parl31Oct06.htm

(ii) BBC website poll