Comparison of Divisions: Iraq — Select committee inquiry — to be set up — 31 Oct 2006 at 18:53 with Division No. 331 on the same day at 18:53

The majority of MPs voted against an inquiry into the Iraq war by a select committee of Privy Counsellors.

Those voting No rejected the words of the motion, which read:

• That this House believes that there should be a select committee of seven honourable Members, being members of Her Majesty's Privy Council, to review the way in which the responsibilities of Government were discharged in relation to Iraq and all matters relevant thereto, in the period leading up to military action in that country in March 2003 and in its aftermath.

They replaced it with a new motion in Division 331

The majority of MPs voted against a further inquiry into the war in Iraq.

Those voting Aye put a new motion before the house to replace the one that was rejected in Division 330, The new motion said:

• This House, recognising that there have already been four separate independent committees of inquiry into military action in Iraq and recognising the importance of learning all possible lessons from military action in Iraq and its aftermath, declines at this time, whilst the whole effort of the Government and the armed forces is directed towards improving the condition of Iraq, to make a proposal for a further inquiry which would divert attention from this vital task.

This motion then passed without a further vote.

Of the "four separate independent" inquiries, three of them, The Foreign Affairs Committee - The Decision to go to war in Iraq of July 2003, Intelligence and Security Committee - Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction Intelligence and Assessments of September 2003, and The Hutton Inquiry of January 2004 were held before it was established that Iraq lacked usable weapons of mass destruction and either avoided the question, or concluded that it was too early to tell. The fourth, The Butler Review of July 2004, did not have the support of the opposition parties who considered that its terms of reference were too narrow.