Clarke attacks Blair on Iraq

Kenneth Clarke has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Tony Blair over the Iraq war.

In his first speech since announcing his intention to run for leadership of the Conservative party, Mr Clarke described Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War as a “catastrophic error”.

The former Chancellor said that the reasons for Britain entering the war were “bogus” and that the military action had made Britain more vulnerable to attack from Islamic terrorists.

In a speech to journalists, Mr Clarke said: “If the Prime Minister really believes it, he must be the only person left who thinks that the recent bombs in London had no connection at all with his policy in Iraq.”

Mr Clarke opposed the original decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq, the most senior Conservative to do so. However, he did not call for the pullout of British troops in Thursday’s speech, saying that it would be “immoral” to leave the country now, facing anarchy and civil war. He said: “Disengagement from Iraq has to be part of a much larger and more sophisticated political programme than we are delivering at the moment.”

Mr Clarke also criticised tough new legislation planned by the government to tackle the threat of terrorism in the wake of the London bombings. Referring to his experience in dealing with terrorism in Northern Ireland, during his time as Home Secretary in the early 1990s, Mr Clarke warned that new terror laws could “feed a sense of panic” and that repressive legislation could encourage terrorists. He said: “You don’t beat the enemies of freedom by taking the freedom away.”

Mr Clarke has run for leadership of the Conservative party twice before – in 1997 and 2001 – but been unsuccessful. The other contenders, who are in the race to succeed current leader Michael Howard, include David Davis, David Cameron and Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

(KMcA)