Iraq Inquiry — Welcomes the inquiry — 24 Jun 2009 at 18:43

The majority of MPs voted to welcome an inquiry into the Iraq war and to commend the proposal to hold as much of it as possible in public.

The majority of MPs voted for the motion, which read:^[1]

• This House
• welcomes the announcement by the Government of a wide ranging and independent inquiry to establish the lessons to be learnt from the United Kingdom's engagement in Iraq, which will consider the run-up to the conflict, the military action and reconstruction;
• recognises the importance of allowing the families of those who gave their lives in Iraq to express their views about the nature and procedures of the inquiry;
• notes the Prime Minister's request that the chairman of the inquiry consult party leaders and chairs of the relevant parliamentary committees on the scope for taking evidence under oath and holding sessions in public; and
• commends the proposal by the chair of the inquiry to hold as much of the proceedings as possible in public without compromising national security or the inquiry's ability to report thoroughly and without delay.

This decision to hold as much of the proceedings as possible in public represented a U-turn from the position held before that the issues did not suit a public inquiry.^[2][3]

• [1] David Miliband MP, House of Commons, 24 June 2009
• [2] David Heath MP, House of Commons, 24 June 2009
• [3] Gordon Brown, House of Commons, 15 June 2009

Debate in Parliament | Source |