Blair urged to lead Iraq debate

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has said Tony Blair has "a public duty" to lead the House of Commons debate on Iraq on Wednesday.

He said Iraq was "going to define" Mr Blair's time as prime minister and he had "an obligation" to debate his strategy with MPs in the Commons.

The "public were entitled" to that as there had not been a full debate on Iraq since 2004, Sir Menzies said.

He told the BBC he believed there should be a phased troops withdrawal.

The debate on Iraq is to take place on Wednesday afternoon, but Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, rather than Tony Blair, is expected to lead it.

Sir Menzies told BBC One's Sunday AM he believed there "is an obligation on leaders, on an issue of this magnitude, to come to the Commons and explain what they think and what their parties think".

Why weren't others, who now have the benefit of hindsight, much more active in hauling the prime minister from something which even the prime minister, inadvertently, agreed has now been a disaster? Sir Menzies CampbellLib Dem leader

"This is an issue which is essentially Mr Blair's issue and he should appear before the House of Commons and explain where we are, where we are going and what his proposals are for an exit strategy."

Sir Menzies said UK troops should be withdrawn "sooner rather than later", saying: "We have got to come to the point of asking ourselves: can we do any more good?

"And I think the answer is that we can no longer do any more good and what we need now is a phased withdrawal."

He also questioned those Labour ministers - such as Peter Hain - who have expressed doubts about Mr Blair's foreign policy.

Kennedy

Sir Menzies, whose party then led by Charles Kennedy opposed the Iraq invasion and war, pointed out that in the cabinet only Robin Cook and Clare Short had voiced their opposition at the time.

"Why weren't others doing that? Why weren't others, who now have the benefit of hindsight, much more active in hauling the Prime Minister from something which even the Prime Minister, inadvertently, agreed has now been a disaster?"

During the same interview Sir Menzies also said he believed there should be a general election called when Tony Blair steps down as prime minister this year.

"There is just a sense that this government has run its course and that's why I think if Gordon Brown is crowned or elected, by whichever mechanism, then the people of the UK are entitled to have a say."

And asked if he planned to bring his predecessor Charles Kennedy back into front bench politics, Sir Menzies said it remained an issue for Mr Kennedy - who connected with public better than other politicians - to decide if and when he was ready to move back into the limelight.