News
26/06/2009
"We have to know how and why decisions were made that took us down this tragic road."
Batley and Spen MP Mike Wood has backed calls for a broader and more robust inquiry into the Iraq war.
A motion in the House of Commons by the Conservatives last week attempted to change the terms of the inquiry announced by the Prime Minister. The motion was defeated by just 39 votes with Mr Wood voting with a number of Labour MPs against the Government.
Mr Wood was one of the few MPs in the House of Commons who voted against the war in Iraq. And while he has maintained his opposition to it he has worked closely with the families of servicemen and women and Armed Forces organisations to improve the conditions for soldiers serving in Iraq.
Mr Wood said: "We went to war, we were told, to deal with weapons of mass destruction. Six years later we have found none, yet decisions that were made led to the loss of thousands of civilian lives, the loss of hundreds of servicemen, including two from Batley and Spen, and billions of pounds have been spent.
"There has also been the backlash of terrorism both within Iraq and throughout the world including right here in Britain.
"We have to know how and why the decisions were made to take us down this tragic road. We have no know why we went to war, when the decisions were made and who was involved in that process - and we need to know as soon as possible.
"We also need to know who, if anyone, should face charges of war crimes."
Mr Wood will continue to support calls for an inquiry that will satisfy public anger at the way we were taken to war.
