"Labour's Iraq Disaster Needs a New Strategy" - John Leech MP

2.22.28pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 5th Apr 2007

John Leech, MP for Manchester, Withington, and Liberal Democrat colleagues in Parliament have set out their new plan for Britain's involvement in Iraq after the Labour government's catastrophic failings.

"The Lib Dems opposed the war in Iraq from the outset," said John Leech MP. "But now we've committed our troops to this costly mistake, we need a real strategy on how to ensure that no more lives are wasted.

"We are approaching the 4th anniversary of the coalition stating that the war was over," he continued. "And yet the killing continues. In the intervening years countless civilians have died and many British lives have been unnecessarily lost. The government can afford to spend £76 billion on a new nuclear missile system and yet many soldiers have inadequate equipment."

Manchester Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Cllr. Paul Shannon speaking against the Iraq war.

"The Iraq Study Group Report made clear proposals of how to quell the sectarian violence that has plagued the country. However, President Bush completely disregarded them and Tony Blair has gone along with this in much the same way as he done on so many key foreign policy decisions.

"We must set in place plans for a full withdrawal of all British troops. This can only be done by working with Iraq's neighbours, the UN and the democratic government of Iraq itself."

<<ENDS>>

Notes to editors:

John Leech MP has signed Early Day Motion 1225, calling for a full withdrawal of British troops. The text of the motion is set out below:

TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ

27.03.2007

Moore, Michael

That this House notes the passing of the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq; regrets the escalation of sectarian conflict in Iraq with more than 34,000 civilian deaths reported by the United Nations in 2006 alone and believes that Iraq is fast approaching civil war; supports the report of the US Iraq Study Group, which recommended, amongst other things, regional engagement with Iran and Syria, but is dismayed that President Bush has in most respects rejected it; regrets the lack of a similar strategic review of the British role in Iraq; pays tribute to the British armed forces for their continued professionalism and bravery but notes the overstretch of UK armed forces generally; further notes that on 1st May 2007 it will be four years since the coalition forces declared the war to be over; is concerned by the results of the recent international poll in Iraq and the comments of the head of the British Army, Sir Richard Dannatt, that the presence of British forces now exacerbates the security situation in Iraq; recognises that US strategy is now diverging from UK interests; while welcoming the Prime Minister's announcement that up to 1,600 British troops will be withdrawn from Iraq in the coming months, further notes that more than 5,000 British forces will still be deployed there; and therefore calls on the Government immediately to begin work with coalition and Iraqi partners to secure a full withdrawal of all British forces by the end of October 2007.