THE Iraq War was illegal, according to John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister in the Labour Government that took the UK into the 2003 American-led invasion.
Prescott used his sharpest language yet to condemn Tony Blair’s decision to back the war ordered by the then US President George W Bush, a military campaign the Labour heavyweight voted for in the Commons.
Lord Prescott’s dramatic intervention came just days after the publication of the long-awaited Iraq inquiry report by Sir John Chilcot, which was more damning than many had expected of the former Prime Minister.
The probe into the UK’s involvement in the conflict found that Blair committed British troops to an invasion of Iraq before peaceful options had been exhausted and highlighted his communication with Bush saying that “I will be with you, whatever” in the build-up to the war.
Last night, the SNP branded Prescott’s stark admission as “extraordinary” and said it was further damning evidence against Blair’s war campaign in Iraq, which claimed the lives of 179 British military personnel and caused untold bloodshed and chaos in Iraq.
An SNP spokesman said: “This is an extraordinary admission by the former Deputy Prime Minister – and makes clear that Tony Blair’s was so set on war in Iraq based on promises made in private to George Bush, that he was prepared to go over the heads of his own Cabinet.
“But while John Prescott has apologised for his part in the illegal war, still no full and forthright apology has been forthcoming from Tony Blair.
“No amount of weaselling and spin can save the disgraced former PM from the tragic reality that his deceit cost soldiers their lives – and he should be held responsible.”
Meanwhile, Prescott, who was officially Blair’s most senior Cabinet colleague as Deputy PM, said he was permanently haunted by his mistake to back the war.
The Labour peer in a written article, said: “I will live with the decision of going to war and its catastrophic consequences for the rest of my life.
“In 2004, the UN secretary-general Kofi Annan said that as regime change was the prime aim of the Iraq War, it was illegal. With great sadness and anger, I now believe him to be right.” Prescott said the Chilcot Report was a “damning indictment of how the Blair government handled the war – and I take my fair share of blame”.
“As the Deputy Prime Minister in that Government I must express my fullest apology, especially to the families of the 179 men and women who gave their lives in the Iraq War.”
He also welcomed current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to apologise on behalf of the party for the war. Prescott’s remarks came as a senior Tory politician claimed the public want to see Blair punished, as MPs prepare a Commons motion to find the former Prime Minister in contempt of Parliament.
Tory MP David Davis said “quite a lot” of MPs already support the motion which will claim Blair deceived MPs over the invasion.
He intends to put the motion before Speaker John Bercow on Thursday, and if granted, MPs could debate it on July 18 or 19, before parliament breaks up for the summer.
Prescott said he had concerns about the way Blair ran his government, with Cabinet ministers given “too little paper documentation” to make decisions.
He also said intelligence reports were based on “discussions at receptions and prejudiced sources”, amounting to “tittle-tattle, not hard evidence”. Prescott said Blair was determined to be a “special friend” to the US and President Bush.
Referring to the previously secret memo disclosed in the Chilcot files, Prescott said: “Tony’s note to Bush with that devastating quote ‘I am with you, whatever’ was all the Americans needed to go in, without UN support.” Blair defended the decision to oust Saddam Hussein and insisted his efforts to form a close relationship with the US persuaded Bush to pursue a second UN security council resolution, ultimately not obtained.
Carolyn Leckie: Inquiries offer hope to victims of iniquity
Letters II: Blair’s lies cost many honest people their jobs and reputations
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