Tony Blair may face charge of contempt of parliament


There are moves to pass a contempt of parliament motion against former UK prime minister Tony Blair in the wake of the revelations in the Chilcot report, and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who voted against the Iraq war, will likely support it.

Tony Blair could face a motion of contempt in the House of Commons over the 2003 invasion of Iraq – a motion that Jeremy Corbyn has said he would probably support.

The Conservative MP David Davis, backed by the SNP’s Alex Salmond, has said he will present on Thursday the motion accusing the former prime minister of misleading parliament. MPs could debate the issue before the summer if it is accepted by the Commons Speaker, John Bercow.

Asked about the potential vote, Corbyn told Marr he would probably back the motion. “Parliament must hold to account, including Tony Blair, those who took us into this particular war,” he said.

Corbyn’s rival for the leadership Angela Eagle is opposed.

Eagle hinted that she would not support it. Explaining that she had not yet seen the motion, she told the BBC’s Sunday Politics: “We have to make certain that we don’t spend our time in parliament just exacting revenge. I think Tony Blair has been put, rightly, through the mill about the decisions he took. The Chilcot report did that.

“We would be far better learning the lessons and making certain that we don’t fall into the same mistakes if – God forbid – there should be a future situation where these decisions are made.”

Eagle also claims that she wants to “heal Labour” presumably by not doing anything. This is the same mealy-mouthed “we need to look forward and not backward” rhetoric that Barack Obama spouted to try and excuse his disgraceful lack of action against those who lied the US into illegal wars and committed torture and other war crimes. Surely the best way to learn the lesson that lying to wage war is wrong is to prosecute those who do so and failing that, to heap more and more condemnation on them?

I suddenly remembered this old clip that mocks Blair’s deep love and admiration, almost adolescent in its degree, for George W. Bush. He deserves contempt for that alone.

Comments

  1. KG says

    For personal reasons, I’m reverting to a nym I used at Pharyngula some while ago. I should stress this is not because of any threat to my safety or that of others.
    Nick Gotts

    Angela Eagle voted for the war, so her opposition to holding Blair to account cannot be considered unbiased or impartial.

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