SNP Chilcot motion on Tony Blair gets cross-party support

Tony Blair  - PA

The SNP has secured cross-party support for a motion today calling for Tony Blair to be held to account for holding the House of Commons in "blatant contempt" over the Iraq War.

The motion states the Chilcot inquiry into the 2003 invasion provided “substantial evidence of misleading information” from the former prime minister, and calls for a parliamentary probe to investigate the difference between what Mr Blair said publicly and privately over the conflict.

The motion has been backed by Plaid Cymru and the Greens with support from MPs from the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

RELATED CONTENT

Bid to fund Iraq war legal action against Tony Blair launched

Jeremy Corbyn apologises for Iraq War on behalf of the Labour Party

The Chilcot inquiry reported Blair had told the House of Commons no decision had been made to go to war while privately telling US President George W Bush “I will be with you whatever”.

Alex Salmond MP, the SNP’s International Affairs spokesperson, said he had held the Commons in "blatant contempt".

"Blair’s premeditated and calculated commitment to Bush that “I will be with you whatever” will forever ring loud for the millions who marched against the war, to the families of dead soldiers and to hundreds of thousands of Iraqi’s who lost their lives, due to an illegal invasion based on deception and deceit," he said.

“At a time when Blair is planning his political comeback, it is high time that this Parliament and its Committees at long last brought this dark stain on UK foreign policy to a close by investigating how such grave misleading occurred and taking the appropriate action to avoid it happening again.”

A row has reportedly broken out among Labour ranks, with those loyal to Blair furious that the party isn't being whipped into defeating the SNP motion.