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Howard's Way.... a weekly column from the Rt. Hon. Michael Howard QC. MP. 

6 September 2007

 

It’s always gratifying when something you’ve been saying for a long time is endorsed by someone who is in an unimpeachable position to know the truth.

So I was very interested in the remarks of General Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the Army, on the failure to plan for the future of Iraq following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

As we all know there was sharp disagreement in the country on the decision to go to war. But even before the invasion, Conservative Party spokesmen were asking about the plan. We never got a satisfactory answer.

General Jackson blames the Americans and in particular Donald Rumsfeld, the then US Defence Secretary. There is no doubt that he bears a heavy responsibility as does President Bush, who chose to listen to Mr Rumsfeld rather than to Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, who had proposed a plan.

But what was the British Government doing at the time?

We were in a position where our views could have been decisive. The Americans may not have needed us militarily but, politically, our involvement in the invasion was invaluable to them. Had the British Government made the adoption of Colin Powell’s plan a condition of our participation there would have been a very good chance that President Bush would have listened.

But we know from the memoirs of others who were involved that no serious or sustained attempt to use our influence was made. Why didn’t Mr Blair try to use that influence? Why didn’t Gordon Brown try to persuade him to use it?

These are vital questions that an inquiry into the war and its aftermath would answer.

Up to now all demands for an inquiry, such as that which followed the Falklands conflict, have been refused on the ground that it might affect the morale of our troops in Iraq.

Many might think that a rather spurious reason. Now that our troops have been withdrawn from Basra city it is even less convincing.

We should have an inquiry into the war and its aftermath without any further delay.