MADAM — In view of the current events in Iraq and the knock on effect to security in our own country, I would like to know why it was that David Drew did not vote against the invasion of Iraq when the division was held in the House of Commons on March 18, 2003, on which occasion he was the Labour MP for Stroud and he had the opportunity to do so?

Military action against Iraq by the US and the UK commenced just two days after this division.

Mr Drew is the Labour Candidate for Stroud in next year’s general election and hopes to become Stroud’s MP once again.

As is now well established, the invasion of that unfortunate country was based on a false premise, it did not have the backing of a UN Resolution and it was almost certainly illegal in international law.

The fact that Mr Drew absented himself from the Commons on the day in question and therefore effectively abstained, as opposed to voting in favour of the motion, is of little consequence.

Surely it was of prime importance that Stroud’s representative at Westminster voted against such a dubious act of aggression against a fully sovereign nation, especially when the facts detailed above are taken into consideration ?

The fact that Mr Drew also voted against the setting up of an inquiry into the Iraq War in 2008 would also seem to compound the issue.

Was Mr Drew bullied by the Labour whips and more concerned about career advancement than he was about British servicemen and women, our national security and indeed about the Iraqi people?

I am only 20 years old and so I was too young to understand what was taking place in my name in 2003.

Now I, and many other young people like me, are thoroughly ashamed and disgusted by what has been done in our names by our elected representatives.

We are the ones who will have to live with the consequences of this for many years to come.

Allen Owen

Stonehouse