Michael Headley calls on Government to apologise for Iraq

10.02.20am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 22nd Mar 2007

LIBERAL Democrat campaigner, Michael Headley has called on the government to apologise for the invasion of Iraq.

Michael Headley said, "Four years ago, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown led Britain into the war in Iraq. The Conservatives were the cheerleaders for the war. They attacked the Liberal Democrats for being opposed to this disastrous military venture.

"The war in Iraq and the occupation of the country were the worst decisions taken by Britain in the area of foreign policy in living memory. And when the final vote was counted, sadly Bedford MP, Patrick Hall, failed to vote against this decision.

"The war to scrap weapons of mass destruction achieved nothing because there were no weapons of mass destruction. The war that was meant to bring stability to the Middle East region has made an unstable situation far worse. And the war that was meant to make the world safer from terrorism has created a breeding ground for terrorism.

"Now, four years on, an opinion poll carried out for the BBC shows nearly two out of three people in the UK believe the invasion to be a mistake.

"There has been and continues to be an horrendous human cost to this war. It has made our country less safe, failed to achieve its main aims and is costing us £2.5 million a day to maintain the occupation.

"Given the lack of UK influence over coalition strategy, the deepening sectarian conflict, and the increasing antipathy of the Iraqi people to the coalition forces, the time has come for a controlled exit. We have done all we can and our presence is exacerbating the situation. The process of withdrawal should begin in May and end in October. It is time to go."