Kennedy seeks Iraq war 'justice'

[Talon]

Kennedy seeks Iraq war 'justice'

Every Labour and Conservative candidate should be held to account by voters over the Iraq war, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has argued.

Mr Kennedy said Tony Blair had taken the UK into an illegal war and voters could deliver "justice by the ballot box" at the general election.

Tory leader Michael Howard says the war was right but Mr Blair lied about it.

Mr Blair says he was given clear advice the war was lawful and argues he is not asking voters to endorse his decision.

With 10 days to polling day, Labour is focusing on its efforts to regenerate the UK's cities while the Conservatives publish their manifesto for businesses.

The Liberal Democrats were the only one of the three main parties to oppose the war and on Sunday Mr Kennedy said the election could be a "referendum" on the war.

Smiling leaders

The party has taken advertisements in Monday's Daily Mail and Daily Mirror newspapers underlining their opposition to the stance taken by Mr Blair and US President George Bush.

The adverts show a smiling picture of the two leaders with the slogan "We oppose: Bush and Blair on Iraq. We propose: never again."

Mr Kennedy said foreign policy was not usually a major theme of British elections, but would be this time.

He warned: "Iraq does deserve to be a central issue in this election, not only because of what has happened, but because of what may yet come to pass."

The British people had been misled over the war, he said, urging the prime minister to rule out future military action against Iran.

Mr Kennedy argued: "Every Labour candidate should answer for the Government's rush to war. Every Conservative candidate should answer for their party's supine support."

Despite his comments, Mr Kennedy said he did not believe Mr Blair should be put on trial over the war.

Asked whether he would have left Saddam Hussein in power, Mr Kennedy said weapons inspectors should have been given more time in Iraq.

He also suggested there was a body of evidence to suggest the Saddam regime was "becoming untenable", although did not name any specific report.

His attack follows a report in the Mail on Sunday which said a leaked memo showed Attorney General Lord Goldsmith had given six reasons why military action might not be legal.

Lord Goldsmith has insisted he advised military action against Iraq was lawful - with a spokeswoman saying that this was "his own genuinely held independent view".

Mr Kennedy said the legality of the issue would not go away unless the attorney general's advice was published.

He again demanded an inquiry into "how and why" the UK went to war in Iraq, including examining ministers' judgements.

The Lib Dems want a phased withdrawal of British troops from Iraq at the end of the year.

Pressed over Lord Goldsmith's advice, Mr Blair said. "It's not a question of changing his mind. The advice of the attorney general was very clear."

He denied the attorney general had been pressured by Downing Street, saying: "You can go on forever trying to prove there was some conspiracy: there was not.

"There was a judgement. The judgement might be right, it might be wrong. I had to take it. I believe I made the right judgment, I believe the world is better with Saddam in prison and out of power."

'Lies'

Mr Blair urged people to listen to Iraqis who now saw hope for their country's future and accused opposition parties of focusing the on the issue because they had nothing to say about Britain's future.

The Conservative leader says Mr Blair has lied in the run-up to the Iraq war about intelligence.

Mr Howard said removing Saddam Hussein had been the "right thing to do".

"I think it was possible to go to war but to tell the truth," he said.

Aside from the Iraq row, Conservative shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin has launched a 10-point policy plan for businesses, including better support entrepreneurs.

Labour championed the "steady transformation" of British cities and accused the Tories of producing economic plans which Margaret Thatcher would not have countenanced.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_p...age/4479625.stm

[warden]

They all sound like three kids squabaling in a play ground over a bag of sweets

We will see many dirty tricks played by all the partys in the next few days