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| Iraq |
| Britain: Iraq crisis prompts aide to quit |
| 2003-03-09 |
| The first rats scuttle away... (Edited for length) Tony Blair has suffered the first resignation from his government over the Iraq crisis and has been warned that more could follow. Loughborough "So I'm stabbing him in the back and hoping to make a name for myself as the man who brought Blair down" Three other parliamentary private secretaries — MPs who work as assistants to ministers — have indicated they also would step down if action was taken without a new UN resolution. Another unnamed aide to a cabinet minister told the Sunday Telegraph he would also depart if war went ahead without a new resolution. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said the resignation threats should be kept in context and most Labour MPs and ministerial aides did back Mr Blair's stance. Acknowledging Labour anxiety over Iraq, Mr Prescott said: "Tony Blair is giving leadership. That's what this party wants from Tony Blair. "We will go on seeking to get that second resolution at the UN, which we are fighting very hard for." Mr Prescott said Parliament would get a vote over a new second resolution, although its timing could not be allowed to threaten the safety of UK forces. Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt told Sky News it was rather "self-indulgent" to talk about resignation when ministers were working "flat out" on getting a new resolution. Labour rebel MP Alan Simpson said resignation was a sign of the gap between Downing Street and both the Labour Party and the public. "It is a very dangerous gap for the goverment to find itself in," he said. In a recent vote on the crisis, 122 Labour MPs rebelled against Tony Blair's hardline Iraq stance. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby programme: "We reserve the right to make decisions if it is not possible to secure agreement here in the UN. "What we would be doing in those circumstances is actually putting into practice the UN's own writ." |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #3 Matt - I'm tyring to think of a time when the armed forces went to war without a majority of public support. Most say they do support conflict, but only with the UN's go-ahead. It's difficult to say how many of those will be satisfied the campaign's 'just' or sensible when the UN diplomacy has been exhausted. I believe the British will support our troops whilst they're risking their lives for their country, but there will inevitably be demonstrations and the like. Tony will last more than 10 days because, crucially, most of his cabinet are behind him, it's more difficult to say how many of his MPs are prepared to rebel. You could say Tony's bound to have posted natural allies to his cabinet, so his cabinet will not reflect the general party opinion. They're also more experienced (they know who put them in power), and also have most to lose by unsuccessfully defying Tony. Re: "Has the USA a better friend?" - the USA has many good allies, I suppose Blair's the most high profile, and has the most to offer by way of diplomatic and military support. Mustn't forget all the other, smaller guys! |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2003-03-10 03:03:50 |
| #2 Andy Reed is a pinko commie. No surprise he will resign. Rather, Blair should thank Almighty God this piece of political jetsam has left government. |
| Posted by: badanov 2003-03-09 22:03:51 |
| #1 Bulldog: Correct me if I'm under an American misapprehension, but it seems to me that PM Blair's (has the USA had a better friend?) difficulties end when the fighting starts and the British public rally around the squaddies. Can he last ten days? |
| Posted by: Matt 2003-03-09 18:31:35 |