Lewes MP Norman Baker has today accused the Government of attempting to rig the inquiry chaired by Lord Butler, into the intelligence which was provided to the Government in the build-up to the Iraq war.
Speaking after the inquiry was announced in the House of Commons, Norman comments:
"This looks like an attempt by the Government to rig the inquiry into why we went to war. It is an attempted whitewash in which they are trying to offload the blame onto the intelligence services so that they themselves can come out of it scot-free.
"This is why Charles Kennedy was absolutely right to make the decision that the Lib Dems will not take part in the inquiry. We have been calling for an independent inquiry into why we went to war in Iraq for a long time. However, now that we've got it we are dismayed by the fact that its remit is clearly too limited - it only investigates the quality of intelligence which was provided to the Government in the build-up to the Iraq war and not the judgments which were made by the politicians about those intelligence assessments.
"The remit for this inquiry does not go far enough - it excludes politicians from scrutiny and it is therefore doubtful whether it'll be able to restore the public confidence in the Government which is so badly needed. For this reason the Lib Dems - sadly - cannot participate in it.
"The Lib Dems shall continue to challenge the Government about these matters, as we have been doing consistently over many months. We ask for the answers the public is also seeking. I am frankly doubtful that this inquiry will satisfy those concerns."
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