Drew won't back Blair (From Stroud News and Journal)

Drew won't back Blair

STROUD'S Labour MP David Drew has said Prime Minister Tony Blair's 'huge mistake' in backing the war in Iraq is likely to cost him his job in Downing Street. "Mr Blair has got it badly wrong," said Mr Drew.

Facing questions at a debate in the Subscription Rooms last Tuesday Mr Drew said he could not and would not back the Prime Minister if he insists on taking the country into an unjustifiable war.

Mr Drew said he was happy to support Clare Short and Robin Cook in calling for a peaceful solution to the Middle East crisis. Mr Cook shattered Cabinet unity on Monday by resigning.

"I don't see any justification for military action against Iraq at the present time," said Mr Drew.

"The only way I would change my stance was if Iraq launched an attack on one of its neighbours and that isn't going to happen.

"I'm not nave enough to think he hasn't got some chemical or biological weapons hidden away but what's he going to launch them with?

"There is no immediate threat. If you're going to act on behalf of the international community you have to have the proof that you're able to call on their support.

"And that support just isn't there, not among governments, not among parliaments and certainly not among the people."

Mr Drew said an invasion of Iraq without it would set a very dangerous precedent. "There's no logic at all in concentrating all these efforts on Iraq," he said.

The MP claimed North Korea, Pakistan and others posed a far greater threat to global safety and were potentially unstable countries.

"We've got to do an awful lot to try to pull things away from where we are at the present time," he said. "We've got the war against terrorism wrong. It's largely bogus.

"For the past hundred years or more we've faced the threat of terrorism and there will always be fanatics out there who want to take things into their own hands.

"This is about international instability and I don't think attacking Iraq is going to help that at all."

Saddam Hussein was given 48 hours on Monday to leave Iraq but he has already rejected the ultimatum.

Although Mr Drew said he did not support the Prime Minister on Iraq he dodged questions over whether he thought Mr Blair should be brought before the international war crime court in The Hague if he went ahead without a second UN resolution.