Furious MPs are planning a parliamentary debate to challenge an alleged “stitch-up” that could delay the report of the Iraq war inquiry until after the general election. A cross-party coalition has demanded that parliament’s backbench committee allocate half a day to discussing the continuing delay in publishing the Chilcot inquiry’s findings, which are expected to include severe criticism of the UK’s decision to join the US-led invasion in 2003. The group pushing for the debate, which includes members of Plaid Cymru, the SNP and Labour as well as Tory MP David Davis, former attorney general Dominic Grieve, and former Lib Dem Home Office minister Norman Baker, believes the government must ensure that the public are allowed to see the report as soon as possible. The increased pressure for publication came as the government confirmed that it will hold the report back if it is not completed by the end of next month, apparently contradicting assurances by the prime minister that the timing of its publication was independent of him. ...Elfyn Llwyd, the leader of Plaid Cymru’s Westminster group, who is pushing for the debate, said he could not understand why the government had imposed the February deadline. He said that, as parliament was sitting until 30 March, there was still time to debate the report ahead of the election. He expressed a fear that Labour and the Tories – who supported the war – had closed ranks to delay it until after the election. “It could be a stitch-up between both [Tory and Labour] benches,” Llwyd added. “When things like war arise, you do have a closing-in.” Llywd said a debate would explore the government’s role in influencing the timing of the report. “Given the strength of feeling and the all-party nature of the application, I am fairly confident it [the debate] will be given some time, certainly within the next month,” he said. With Jonathan Edwards AS/MP & Hywel Williams AS/MP
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 08:44:30 +0000
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