CABINET COVER UP OVER IRAQ MINUTES CONDEMNED.

CABINET COVER UP OVER IRAQ MINUTES CONDEMNED.

SNP RENEW CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT INQUIRY.

The SNP have renewed calls for a full independent inquiry into the Iraq war, including disclosure of Cabinet minutes, following news that Justice Secretary Jack Straw has vetoed the release of minutes of meetings in the run-up to the Iraq war.

SNP Westminster leader and Defence spokesperson, Angus Robertson MP, said:

”The public feels it was lied to about the reasons for going to war in Iraq, and those responsible must not be allowed to hide from an inquiry.

”This Cabinet cover up is typical of the Labour government’s attitude to freedom of information.

”We must learn the lessons from the worst UK Foreign policy decision in living memory. Our brave troops have had to pay the price of an illegal conflict forced by Tony Blair, paid for by Gordon Brown and supported by the Tories.

”Those responsible have never answered the most fundamental questions about why we were led into this war.

“The claim that the war was about weapons of mass destruction was a lie, a mere cover story unsupported by the facts, which has cost the lives of thousands of civilians and hundreds of our brave soldiers.

“As an MP representing a military constituency, nobody supports our courageous forces more than I do.

”However, the UK Government that put our troops in the face of danger must not be above question, and today, the families of those who have paid with their lives, those people who protested, and all of us who are paying for it, still demand and deserve answers.”