Plot to re-investigate Tony Blair over claims he misled Commons over Iraq scuppered as Labour MPs leap to his defence
Labour MPs accused those behind the Opposition Day Debate of refusing to accept the results of five separate inquiries into the war
PLANS to re-investigate Tony Blair over claims he misled Commons over Iraq were thrown out today as Labour MPs leapt to his defence.
MPs voted 439 to 70 against the motion to mandate a select committee to look again at differences between the former Prime Minister's public and private policies.
A string of MPs said the SNP, who called the Opposition Day Debate in the House of Commons, was trying to reopen old debates and refused to accept the results of five separate inquiries into the war.
Labour MP Ian Austin was furious at his colleague Paul Flynn for saying MPs were "bribed, bullied and bamboozled" by the Government at the time into voting "the wrong way".
Cries of "outrageous" and "scandalous" could be heard from MPs as he spoke.
"Is it in order for a Member of this house to allege that other Members were bribed, paid to vote a particular way?" Mr Austin raged. "Should he not produce evidence for it? What a disgrace!"
The motion, which was put forward by the SNP but supported by colleagues from a number of political parties, including Labour, said that the House recognised "substantial evidence of misleading information" from then-PM Mr Blair.
RELATED STORIES
Shadow Foreign Minister Fabian Hamilton said the motion was "fighting old wars" and that there was a "serious risk" the debate would distract from learning the lessons from Iraq.
"They are creating contentions which have already been dismissed by five separate inquiries," he said. "How many more do we need?"
He urged his Labour colleagues to vote against today's motion, but the party did not whip MPs to do so. Nevertheless many turned out to support the former PM.
"I disagreed with Tony Blair on the Iraq War," Mr Hamilton continued, who voted against war in 2003. "We have thus far heard nothing new today."
"I thought our PM was simply wrong. But never for one second did I believe he was acting in bad faith and I do not do so now."
He was backed up by Clive Efford, who said he "did not for one minute think Tony Blair lied or tried to mislead me. It is time to learn the lessons and move on."
Labour’s Phil Wilson said: “Let us desist from this witch hunt...Tony Blair did not lie. ”
Even Michael Gove, the former Justice Secretary, defended the former Prime Minister.
"There was no deliberate misleading of this House, it is wrong to say otherwise," he said.
"In judging Mr Blair, and history I think will judge him less harshly than some in this House do, we need to reocgnise that his decision to join with George W Bush was a finely balanced one," he added.
Others thought the debate was in danger of becoming a "party political issue."
Nigel Dodds of the DUP, whose MPs did not sign the motion, said that it appeared to look like "the SNP trying to attack the Labour party rather than making it an issue of real national concern."
And Chris Skidmore, the Cabinet Office minister, quoted extensively from the summary of Sir John Chilcot's Inquiry into the war, saying there was no evidence evidence was excluded from parliament, or that the Cabinet was misled.
He said the situation showed a "failure to exert collective responsibility for a big decision and then supervise and scrutinise the decision" but that no further inquiries were necessary.
Former Tory Minister Ken Clarke added: "I agree the PM has a lot to answer for... but if we turn these debates into an attempt to hound Tony Blair it turns into a party political argument with Labour MPs trying to defend their government."
But not all MPs agreed that the former Prime Minister should be let off the hook.
Green MP Caroline Lucas said that there was "clear evidence the former Prime Minister was fixing the evidence."
Alex Salmond, the former Scottish First Minister and MP who led the Opposition Day Debate, said Mr Blair's statements to Parliament contradicted the security evidence available at the time.
"The leader of the Labour Party, we are all well aware, if he was free to do so, would be joining us in the lobbies this afternoon," he said.
"It is reasonable and important to consider whether parliamentary accountability can be a major weapon of this House in making sure that never happens again."