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Voters deserve to know PM's role in Iraq war

January 21, 2010 3:12 PM

British soldier in Iraq (photo from smh.com.au)Jo has urged the Chairman of the Iraq Inquiry to invite the Prime Minister to give evidence before the General Election.

The Liberal Democrats have called for Gordon Brown to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry before the General Election, saying that voters deserve to know what role he played in the decision that led to the Iraq war before they cast their ballots.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has written to the Prime Minister urging him to publicly confirm that if invited to give evidence before the election, he would do so.

The Prime Minister confirmed this week that he will give evidence to the inquiry whenever Sir John Chilcot, Chairman of the inquiry, invites him to. The Prime Minister must call a General Election before June this year.

Commenting, Jo said:

"More than 100,000 Iraqi civilians and 179 British troops have lost their lives as a result of this illegal war, and £20 billion of taxpayers' money has been spent on it.

"We know that Gordon Brown voted to go to war in Iraq and we know that he signed the cheques, but we still don't know exactly what was his role in the decisions that led to the war and the deception of the public.

"The British people will soon be asked to decide who they want to govern the country for the next five years. They deserve to have all of the relevant information with which to make that decision. The Prime Minister must go before the Chilcot Inquiry before the General Election."

Iraqbodycount.org records the number of Iraqi civilian deaths from the war in Iraq as between 95,069 and 103,727. A World Health Organisation survey estimates it at 151,000.

£20 billion is the cost for Britain estimated by American economist Joseph Stiglitz in his book 'Three Trillion Dollar War'. It includes social and economic costs such as care for wounded soldiers.

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