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SNP calls for publication of Iraq War legal advice |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 23 February 2005 |
'The full advices must now be published' – Ewing
Annabelle Ewing MP, SNP Spokesperson on home affairs today reacted with outrage to reports suggesting that the Attorney General's legal advice on war in Iraq was in fact drafted in Downing Street.
The UK Labour Government has thus far refused to publish the full legal advices actually given by the Attorney General. Rather, the Prime Minister has always based his legal case for War with Iraq on the written parliamentary answer in the name of the Attorney General issued on 17th March 2003. Reports today suggest that this written parliamentary answer was actually drafted in Downing St.
Speaking from the House of Commons Annabelle Ewing said:
"The case for the publication of the Attorney General's full legal advices is now overwhelming.
"This advice was held to be independent legal advice from a senior law officer and was relied upon by the Prime Minister and the Labour Government. To find out that it was based upon a written parliamentary answer that was apparently drafted in Downing Street is extraordinary and extremely worrying.
"It has been reported in the intervening months that the Attorney General's initial advice questioned the legality of the war without a second UN resolution. Now is the time to come clean and publish all his advices.
"The SNP and Plaid Cymru have been calling for this for some years now and indeed held a debate in March last year in which we were supported by 192 MPs from all parties to publish the advices which had influenced the government.
"The case to answer by the Prime Minister is now incontrovertible. He took us to war on an illegal and false premise and it is time to bring this Labour government of deception, spin and deceit to account."
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 February 2005 )
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