PM distanced from illegal wars remark

Downing Street has distanced itself from the defence secretary’s comments that suggested the UK’s military interventions under the last Labour government amounted to “illegal wars”.

Ben Wallace, in a debate in the Commons on a controversial Bill, claimed “illegal wars” instigated by Labour contributed to a legal “mess” faced by British troops.

Afghanistan and Iraq were the major military campaigns in which then prime minister Tony Blair sent British troops into combat.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “There have been long-held views on this issue across the political spectrum and the defence secretary was giving his own personal view.

“Neither the government nor the Chilcot inquiry expressed a view on whether or not the UK’s participation in the war was legal.”

Mr Wallace made the remark on Wednesday during an exchange with shadow defence secretary John Healey, who warned that the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill fails to protect troops from prosecution on historical matters.

Mr Healey accused the government of bringing in a “legal presumption against prosecution for torture, war crimes, for crimes against humanity”.

The government said the proposed legislation will ensure service personnel will be protected from “vexatious claims and endless investigations”.

The row over the proposed law caused splits in the Labour Party, with leader

Sir Keir Starmer sacking three MPs from frontbench roles after they defied whips’ orders to abstain.

Nadia Whittome, Beth Winter and Olivia Blake were aides to shadow ministers.