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Blair suffers huge revolt on Iraq199 MPs vote against British PM
LONDON, England -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has suffered one of the largest ever revolts of his career, with nearly 200 members of parliament -- including dozens from within his own Labour Party -- voting against his policy on Iraq. More than100 Labour MPs defied him as members voted 2:1 by 393 votes to 199 to defeat a motion by dissenters that war should only be a last resort. The Blair government had put forward a carefully worded motion asking for backing for U.N. efforts to disarm Iraq and that was passed by 434 to 124. The motion did not mention the possibility of war that could follow within weeks. But 199 MPs backed an amendment to that motion which stated the case for war is as yet unproven. Embarrassingly for Blair, 122 of them came from his ruling Labour Party, more than a quarter of the total in parliament, dwarfing any previous rebellion against the prime minister. CNN's Christiane Amanpour says Blair, who has a large majority in parliament and the support of opposition Conservatives, was always sure to win the vote, but all day had faced his worst defeat as prime minister within his own party. The biggest revolt previously by Labour rebels on Iraq had seen 53 vote against the Blair government. It suffered its worst ever rebellion in May 1999 when 67 MPs voted against it over cuts in incapacity benefits. The vote was not about whether to go to war, but over a second U.N. resolution that Blair needs to win public opinion and cement an international coalition. "A second resolution... is exactly what I want," Blair told MPs who fear they will not get another vote before military action begins. Britain, the United States and Spain have put down a draft resolution saying President Saddam Hussein has failed to take a final opportunity to disclose and get rid of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. But France and Germany say a majority on the 15-member council support their view that there should be no rush to war and more inspections. A sizeable Labour revolt will add to the impression of a leader standing out dangerously on a limb. More than 750,000 people took to the streets of London this month for an anti-war rally, while recent polls show Blair's approval rating has plunged. "Delay would give Saddam the clearest possible signal that his strategy is succeeding," Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told parliament. "It would tell him that the international community lacks the will to disarm him." Feelings ran high during the debate. "There may well be a time for military action," said Chris Smith, a former minister in Blair's cabinet. "But at the moment the timetable appears to be determined by the decisions of the president of the U.S. and not by the logic of events. "We are talking about thousands of innocent lives being lost, about almost inevitable casualties among our own forces... and the alienation of moderate Muslim opinion across the world." Amanpour says Blair does not have to call another election for two or even three years and Blair would be unlikely to be affected if a war was over quickly and successfully. "I do not believe it will be short and sharp," war skeptic Labour MP George Galloway said. "The consequences of it... the seismic impact of it will disfigure life in this country and around the world for years." Blair got strong support from leaders of the opposition Conservative Party. "Sometimes conflict is necessary in the short term to achieve peace through the threat of aggression, and sometimes it is the threat of conflict which can establish peace," said Michael Ancram, the Conservative spokesman on foreign affairs. Kenneth Clarke, who was Treasury chief in the last Conservative government, said there were suspicions that the U.S. had long been determined to attack Iraq. "Is there legitimacy in the doubt that possibly this was all decided on, has been remorselessly unfolding for many months? I think many people think it has," Clarke said. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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If we do have to go to war, it will not be because we want to, but because of the breaches by Saddam Hussein of U.N. resolutions.
