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Today at PMQs
Matthew Tempest, political correspondent Wednesday March 12, 2003
This morning's Downing Street briefing revealed that the prime minister would use PMQs to announce six "benchmarks", which Britain is proposing should be included in a new UN security council resolution on Iraq.
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has just finished announcing the measure to backbench Labour MPs in a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party.
The conditions include a demand to enable 30 key Iraqi weapons scientists to travel to Cyprus to be interviewed by the UN weapons inspectors, and the destruction "forthwith" of 10,000 litres of anthrax and other chemical and biological materials the Iraqis are believed still to be holding.
Midday Labour's Peter Bradley kicks proceedings off, with a double- edged question measuring the cost of waiting versus action with the US.
Iain Duncan Smith queries when the vote on a second resolution will take place.
The prime minister says there will be, and the opposition fires back:
"What is the government's position in light of a veto?"
"The US could go alone, and this country should not take action unless it is in the national interest to do so," begins Mr Blair, before stressing that in his view the international community should back up the message it sent to Saddam Hussein.
Mr Duncan Smith comes back - will the prime minister confirm that he could commit troops without UN backing?
"The best thing is to go flat out for that second resolution," says Mr Blair, and begins to list his new set of tests for Iraq to demonstrate its compliance.
He mentions anthrax, and the unmanned drone plane.
12.05pm "Does cabinet collective responsibility apply to this situation?"
ponders the Conservative leader.
"Of course it does," responds Mr Blair, as Tory backbenchers chorus "where is she?"
in reference to Clare Short.
"It's perfectly understandable for him to score points, but it's better if we discuss the substance," replies Mr Blair, attempting to out-statesman the opposition leader.
Mr Duncan Smith comes back by quoting Ms Short's full "reckless" speech - "the prime minister's big tent is not big enough to include Clare Short and Donald Rumsfeld - which is it?"
demands the Tory chief.
12.10pm Tony Wright, the Labour public administration committee chief, begins by praising the prime minister's efforts to go through the UN - always suspicious - before quoting a 1998 document from Bush administration personnel, including Paul Wolfowitz, saying that Iraq must be invaded.
"Let's work out the right thing to do and do it," Mr Blair flatly replies, calling such documentation "conspiracy theories".
Again.
Charles Kennedy rises to his feet - has the attorney general advised that an attack without UN authorisation would be illegal?
Mr Blair merely responds that we would do nothing to breach international law.
"So, is Kofi Annan wrong?"
blasts back the Liberal Democrat leader, referring to the UN secretary general's view stated earlier this week that such an unauthorised attack would be "invalid".
12.15pm Edinburgh MP Mark Lazarowicz asks Mr Blair to keep attention on the Middle East and push the new Israeli government back towards talks.
Mr Blair merely welcomes the new Palestinian prime minister, and adds that few in the Middle East will shed tears for president Saddam.
A Lib Dem asks why action in Kosovo required no UN resolution, while action on Iraq does.
Mr Blair does not answer specifically.
Huddersfield Labour MP Barry Sheerman condemns "undue haste to war".
Mr Blair reiterates the terms of resolution 1441.
Tory Andrew Robathan brings matters back to the domestic, with a question on education.
12.17pm Colin Challen, Labour, calls for a moratorium on Gats, and compliments tomorrow's day of action across the EU.
Mr Blair says he "understands the concerns" of the NGOs, but the developing countries are keen for this to move forward and have their markets liberalised.
12.20pm Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd asks simply:
"When will MPs have a vote on whether to commit British troops?"
The prime minister makes his usual statement - that there should be a vote, pending the security of the armed forces.
Win Griffiths, the Bridgend Labour MP, asks when the prime minister will visit Indonesia.
Mr Blair answers that the UK is committing several million pounds towards aiding democracy there.
Julian Brazier, a Tory, gets up to point out that the Muslim world needs to see "even-handedness" from the US and the UK, in particular in relation to the Palestinians and Kashmir.
Mr Blair agrees - sort of, while adding the concerns of Israelis blown up by terrorists.
12.22pm Northern Ireland-born Labour MP Kate Hoey calls for there to be no amnesty for IRA prisoners on the run as part of the ongoing negotiations on the Good Friday agreement.
12.24pm Lib Dem Vincent Cable pointedly brings up yesterday's revelation that the US is now handing out contracts for the rebuilding of Iraq, including to the vice president's former firm Halliburton, and that the US president sees war as an opportunity to hand out contracts, which for all the UK support, we have not been offered.
The prime minister flatly denies this:
"I don't agree with him at all."
12.25pm "Does the prime minister need the support of the parliamentary Labour party or the country before going to war?", asks a Tory MP.
Mr Blair merely asserts he has attempted to put his case over the past few months.
Tory turncoat MP Alan Howarth gets up to agree with the MP, and say there should be no delay until the summer on disarming President Saddam.
Mr Blair agrees, saying there is no way we can leave US and UK troops "out there for months".
He then attacks those countries who have threatened a veto.
12.28pm John Randall, the Tory whip who resigned this week over Iraq, asks the prime minister to publish the legal advice the government has received.
Mr Blair replies that this is not the precedent, before making a slip of the tongue to assert that "we cannot allow Saddam Hussein to continue disarming" - a moment that may be replayed on TV, if anyone notices it.
12.30pm Loyalist MP Derek Foster gets up to compliment Mr Blair on taking the multilateral approach.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/commons/story/0,9061,912662,00.html
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