Kennedy rejects Brown's 'Behind closed doors' Iraq inquiry (North Tayside Liberal Democrats)

North Tayside Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

Kennedy rejects Brown's 'Behind closed doors' Iraq inquiry

June 17, 2009 11:14 AM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Responding to Gordon Brown's announcement this week that the inquiry into the conduct of the Iraq war will be held entirely behind closed doors, and will not report until after the latest possible date for the next General Election, Ross, Skye & Lochaber MP Charles Kennedy said: "Just a fortnight ago, when Gordon Brown was fighting for his political life, we were told that he had promised his own MPs change, with honesty and transparency at its heart.

"The announcement of this unnecessarily secretive inquiry is a bitterly disappointing response to that promise.

"179 British servicemen and women have given their lives, and uncounted Iraqi civilians have been killed during the bombing, the invasion and the long fight to restore order.

"Their families deserve the truth about the decision to put them in harm's way, the failure to equip them properly and the failure to plan for the peace. Instead they have the spectacle of a Government still intent on manipulating the process to shirk its responsibility.

"I do not believe the conduct of the war in Iraq will win or lose the next election for this Government - most people made their minds up about that as a political issue a long time ago. It is all the more disappointing that the Prime Minister has not taken the moral decision to throw light on everything that happened - finally to set families' minds at rest and to allow critically important lessons to be learnt for the future."