The Lib Dem Shadow Foreign Secretary speaks out...
Davey: Iraq inquiry must be about more than Gordon Brown's woes
Tue, 09 Jun 2009
Edward Davey has written to David Miliband to demand genuine cross-party consultation on any Iraq inquiry which the Government brings forward.
The call comes in response to media reports that an inquiry could be announced this week and stresses the need for a genuinely transparent process, centred on the high-level political decisions taken in the run-up to the war.
Edward Davey said; "The Iraq war was the worst British foreign policy disaster since Suez."
"The scale, scope and conduct of an inquiry must reflect this, not merely the political woes of Gordon Brown."
The Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary went on to say; "The country simply will not stand another whitewash on Iraq. With trust in Government and Parliament at an all-time low, there is no alternative but for unprecedented transparency and consensus in the conduct of this inquiry."
Ed concluded; "It is extremely worrying that decisions appear to have already been made, without any discussion in Parliament or correspondence between our parties."
The full text of the letter:
Dear David,
Recent press reports suggest the Government is on the brink of announcing an inquiry into the war in Iraq and that designs on both its remit and make-up are already well-advanced.
While I welcome this new-found speed in setting up an inquiry, the suggestion that it is driven by the political woes of the Prime Minister is deeply troubling. That opposition spokespeople have to read these reports in the newspapers and not hear them in Parliament will leave many in dismay, particularly in the current political climate.
The Iraq war is one of the gravest foreign policy disasters ever to beset this country. The scale, scope and conduct of an inquiry must reflect this, not the fortunes of the Labour party and its Leader, however beleaguered. The country simply will not stand another whitewash on Iraq. With trust in Government and Parliament at an all-time low, there is no alternative but for unprecedented transparency and Parliamentary consensus over the remit and conduct of this inquiry.
That is why I am very concerned that it appears that decisions have already been made, without any discussion in Parliament or correspondence between our parties. I have already made it clear to you that the Liberal Democrats will welcome a Privy Council inquiry, but only with the utmost openness and transparency, and with the greatest number of hearings and deliberations carried out in public.
An inquiry must be centred on the highest levels of political decision-making in the months leading up to the invasion, through occupation and beyond. Of course the remit must be manageable in scale. We cannot have an inquiry that drags on for years at growing cost and irritation to the taxpayer. But it must also be flexible. Both the Butler and Hutton inquiries were far too narrowly prescribed to get at the truth. As such, they totally failed to satisfy the public need to hold Government and Parliament to account.
I would therefore ask that, despite these press reports, you confirm that it is the Government's intention to consult as soon as possible with opposition parties on the type, remit and membership of the inquiry. In our view the cross-party Public Administration Select Committee should also be consulted. The Iraq war has exacted a terrible cost - in lives, in money and in security, but also in trust. Britain's international reputation and that of Parliament in the eyes of its people have borne a terrible blow.
This inquiry may therefore be the most important in our nation's history. The public mood should not to be misread once again by the Prime Minister, Government or Parliament. The Iraq war was endorsed by Parliament - though not by all its Members, and not armed with all the facts - it is therefore only with full backing across Parliament that this inquiry can hope to win back public confidence.
Yours,
(Signed)
Edward Davey MP
Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary
cc William Hague, Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary
http://www.libdems.org.uk/www.libdems.org.uk/
news/Davey-Iraq-inquiry-must-be-about-more-
than-Gordon-Browns-woes.html
Tue, 09 Jun 2009
Edward Davey has written to David Miliband to demand genuine cross-party consultation on any Iraq inquiry which the Government brings forward.
The call comes in response to media reports that an inquiry could be announced this week and stresses the need for a genuinely transparent process, centred on the high-level political decisions taken in the run-up to the war.
Edward Davey said; "The Iraq war was the worst British foreign policy disaster since Suez."
"The scale, scope and conduct of an inquiry must reflect this, not merely the political woes of Gordon Brown."
The Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary went on to say; "The country simply will not stand another whitewash on Iraq. With trust in Government and Parliament at an all-time low, there is no alternative but for unprecedented transparency and consensus in the conduct of this inquiry."
Ed concluded; "It is extremely worrying that decisions appear to have already been made, without any discussion in Parliament or correspondence between our parties."
The full text of the letter:
Dear David,
Recent press reports suggest the Government is on the brink of announcing an inquiry into the war in Iraq and that designs on both its remit and make-up are already well-advanced.
While I welcome this new-found speed in setting up an inquiry, the suggestion that it is driven by the political woes of the Prime Minister is deeply troubling. That opposition spokespeople have to read these reports in the newspapers and not hear them in Parliament will leave many in dismay, particularly in the current political climate.
The Iraq war is one of the gravest foreign policy disasters ever to beset this country. The scale, scope and conduct of an inquiry must reflect this, not the fortunes of the Labour party and its Leader, however beleaguered. The country simply will not stand another whitewash on Iraq. With trust in Government and Parliament at an all-time low, there is no alternative but for unprecedented transparency and Parliamentary consensus over the remit and conduct of this inquiry.
That is why I am very concerned that it appears that decisions have already been made, without any discussion in Parliament or correspondence between our parties. I have already made it clear to you that the Liberal Democrats will welcome a Privy Council inquiry, but only with the utmost openness and transparency, and with the greatest number of hearings and deliberations carried out in public.
An inquiry must be centred on the highest levels of political decision-making in the months leading up to the invasion, through occupation and beyond. Of course the remit must be manageable in scale. We cannot have an inquiry that drags on for years at growing cost and irritation to the taxpayer. But it must also be flexible. Both the Butler and Hutton inquiries were far too narrowly prescribed to get at the truth. As such, they totally failed to satisfy the public need to hold Government and Parliament to account.
I would therefore ask that, despite these press reports, you confirm that it is the Government's intention to consult as soon as possible with opposition parties on the type, remit and membership of the inquiry. In our view the cross-party Public Administration Select Committee should also be consulted. The Iraq war has exacted a terrible cost - in lives, in money and in security, but also in trust. Britain's international reputation and that of Parliament in the eyes of its people have borne a terrible blow.
This inquiry may therefore be the most important in our nation's history. The public mood should not to be misread once again by the Prime Minister, Government or Parliament. The Iraq war was endorsed by Parliament - though not by all its Members, and not armed with all the facts - it is therefore only with full backing across Parliament that this inquiry can hope to win back public confidence.
Yours,
(Signed)
Edward Davey MP
Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary
cc William Hague, Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary
http://www.libdems.org.uk/www.libdems.org.uk/
news/Davey-Iraq-inquiry-must-be-about-more-
than-Gordon-Browns-woes.html
posted by Andrew Simon at 9:59 PM
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