Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg responded to Gordon Brown’s statement in the House of Commons on Iraq. Nick called for troops to be relieved from Iraq to aid our efforts in Afghanistan. He acknowledged that the conditions in Iraq are intimately bound up with the harmful influence of Iran but criticised the Prime Minister’s refusal to condemn any unilateral Israeli military strike in Iran.  

Nick began by praising the efforts of the troops currently serving in Iraq, saying:

“[I] salute the valour, the skill and the perseverance of the troops, and the courage of their families. Let us also not forget the courage of the families of the British hostages who are still held in Iraq.”

He welcomed the proposal to bring British troops out of Iraq but criticised the lack of clarity surrounding the announcement. He said that, without there being clarity on when troops will finally leave, soldiers, soldiers’ families and the Iraqis are placed in an unnecessarily unfair situation.

One of the effects of the misguided war in Iraq has been to overstretch Britain’s military capability. In particular, Nick argued that our engagement in Iraq has constrained British efforts to bring stability to Afghanistan. Nick called on the Prime Minister to confirm whether, with troop numbers falling in Iraq, numbers serving in Afghanistan would increase. He said:

“As we draw our troops down from Iraq, will the Prime Minister assure the House that we will step up our presence in Afghanistan? When will he start deploying more resources to that vital conflict? When will he start moving the vital equipment needed, such as armoured vehicles, out of Iraq to the front line in Helmand?”

Nick concluded his response to the Prime Minister’s statement by raising the issue of Iran, calling on Gordon Brown to publicly condemn a unilateral military strike in Iran. He said:

“Finally, it is impossible to discuss Iraq without mentioning Iran. Our troops’ safety in Iraq and Afghanistan is intimately bound up with Iran’s influence. The Prime Minister has just come back from Israel, where he rightly condemned Iran’s threats to that country. However, will he learn the lesson of our disastrous tacit support for Israel’s incursion into Lebanon two years ago and make it clear to the House today, and to Israel and the country at large, that he will not support, even tacitly, any unilateral Israeli military strike in Iran? Two years ago, the then Foreign Secretary? (Jack Straw), said that an attack on Iran would be “completely nuts”. Does the Prime Minister agree?”

In response, the Prime Minister did not indicate any support for Mr Straw’s sentiments. Mr Brown refused to condemn unilateral Israeli military action against Iran.