Post-invasion plans ‘flawed’ yet MPs voted ‘in good faith’
HALTON MP Derek Twigg has said MPs who voted in favour of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 did so in ‘ good faith’ and that the US should take the bulk of the blame over the ‘appalling mess’ of post-invasion Iraq.
Following last week’s publication of the Iraq Inquiry, Mr Twigg told the Weekly News that their decision was made in ‘good faith’ based on the information provided at the time.
He said the Chilcot Report showed that the plans for post-invasion Iraq were ‘flawed’ and he said MPs would have challenged the assurances made to them that a strategy was in place had they been able to see how events would unfold.
Mr Twigg, who served as a minister under Mr Blair’s Labour Government, aimed part of the blame for deficient preparations with the USA, who he said dismantled the Iraq security and police services leading to a surge of thousands of unemployed men.
On the topics of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), Mr Twigg said UN arms inspector Hans Blix had believed that Iraq had WMD, adding that Saddam Hussein had used chemical warfare in the past.
He added that the decision to go to war followed successful interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone but that the events of Iraq had persuaded him to vote against military action in Syria.
The former defence minister said the intelligence that formed the basis of the belief Iraq was working on WMD came from ‘agents’.
Mr Twigg also disputed a Weekly News report that said he had ‘defended’ Tony Blair in the Commons last Wednesday, arguing that his comments were intended to find out on behalf of constituents whether the Prime Minister thought Chilcot’s findings confirmed or otherwise the main accusations levelled at Mr Blair, namely that he had lied to or misled MPs, that intelligence findings had been distorted or that he had broken international law by going to war.
During the conflict and its aftermath 179 UK Armed Forces personnel died and at least 150,000 civilians perished.
Discussing the Chilcot report’s findings on failures to prepare for post-Saddam Iraq, the Halton MP said: “I certainly have regrets over the fact that the post-invasion plan was clearly flawed and that the Americans decided to disband the Iraq security services and police, putting tens of thousands of men without jobs onto the streets.”
He added: “Anybody who voted has a responsibility for the actions that came from the vote.
“It’s clear to me the Americans must take primary responsibility for the appalling mess of the reconstruction plans.”
Asked whether he would vote for invasion again, he said: “If we could see what’s happened we would challenge them to make sure they had a proper plan in place which we were assured there was.
“The information that was presented