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A hopelessly lost cause

For a lame-duck Prime Minister desperately in search of a respectable legacy, Tuesday's vote in the House of Commons on a cross-party motion demanding a thorough inquiry into Iraq invasion and its aftermath could not have come at a more awkward time. Just when Tony Blair was trying to burnish his progressive credentials with a new initiative on climate change, the vote came as a grim reminder that no matter what he does to overhaul his reputation, Iraq will continue to haunt him. Although the Government narrowly won — or rather averted a defeat — by 25 votes after many potential Labour rebels fell in line, the outcome cannot be read as a vindication of anything. Among Labour Party ranks, Iraq is overwhelmingly recognised as Britain's worst foreign policy disaster since the Suez crisis. Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett virtually acknowledged this when, asked on BBC whether historians might judge Iraq as a foreign policy "disaster," she answered: "Yes, they may." The army chief, General Richard Dannatt, has been more blunt, pointing out that the continued presence of British troops in Iraq is "exacerbating" extremism. In an unusual intervention that has been likened to a political bombshell, Sir Richard questioned the legitimacy of the invasion saying that British and American forces "weren't invited" by Iraqis but they "effectively kicked the door in."

How deeply Labour has been wounded by divisions on Iraq was reflected in the latest voting pattern. Despite a party whip, 24 Labour MPs did not vote with the Government: 12 voted against it and as many abstained. The motion, brought by the Scottish Nationalist Party and the Welsh nationalist group, Plaid Cymru, with the backing of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats was defeated 273-298. At least 50 Labour backbenchers had threatened to vote with the Opposition but many of them changed their minds after whips worked on them to drive home the point that a Blair defeat could lead to calls for his Government's resignation. Other potential rebels decided finally against breaking ranks because they did not want to be seen supporting a Conservative Party that had backed the invasion to the hilt but was now trying to take political advantage of anti-war popular sentiment in the country. (This perception of political opportunism seems to be shared by a significant proportion of Tory supporters as well.) The debate that preceded the vote saw the Government struggle to defend its opposition to an inquiry, with Ms Beckett arguing lamely that it would affect the morale of British troops in Iraq. In the end, Prime Minister Blair survived the vote but lost the argument along with the war in Iraq.

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