Lib Dems call for inquiry on Iraq

1.01.30pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 20th Mar 2008

Thousands killed in 5 years of conflict

The Liberal Democrats have called for an inquiry into the Iraq war, on the fifth anniversary of the conflict. The party's foreign affairs spokesman, Ed Davey, called on Gordon Brown and David Cameron to apologise for voting in favour of the invasion. He said both "shared the blame for this catastrophic foreign policy mistake".

Mr Davey said "The death and destruction wrought by this disastrous war ought to compel even the most diehard supporters of the original decision to revise their position . Contrary to the ludicrous claims of victory made by the likes of David Miliband and George Bush, the war has made Iraq a more dangerous place at a horrific cost. This was true "whether measured in terms of lives, money or our security", he added in a statement.

Charles Kennedy, who as the then Liberal Democrat leader led his party in opposing the war, said there came a time at which progress should be reviewed, "and five years is as good a point at which to take stock as any. This was to see if a continuing US and UK military presence in Iraq was actually more of a problem than a "contribution towards the solution", he added.