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Iraq: Blair comes under pressure

Hasan Suroor

Efforts to impeach British Premier stepped up

LONDON: The death of the hundredth British soldier in Iraq and an unexpected defeat in the Commons on a crucial bill to outlaw hatred against religion dealt a double whammy to Prime Minister Tony Blair's political standing on Wednesday.

There were fresh calls for withdrawal of troops from Iraq after a 31-year-old corporal, Gordon Pritchard, became the 100th British soldier to die in Iraq, but Mr. Blair made clear that Britain would stay the course and "see it through.''

The news of the death of Corporal Pritchard — the second British soldier to die this week — fuelled anger across the country and a cross-party group of MPs stepped up their efforts to push for impeachment of Mr. Blair for taking the country to war on a misleading pretext.

Anti-war demonstration

A large group of anti-war activists, including Labour MPs, held a demonstration outside Parliament and demanded that British troops be called back home immediately.

The row came as Mr. Blair sought to put a brave face on his Government's embarrassing defeat in the Commons on the bill to make it an offence to stir religious hatred.

The Government was defeated on two key clauses of the bill after a number of Labour MPs joined the Opposition to vote against the proposals. There was more embarrassment for Mr. Blair when it emerged that he himself did not vote resulting in the defeat of one of the clauses by just one vote.

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