BRITAIN: Anti-war campaigners received an unexpected boost yesterday when the Conservatives backed demands that Mr Tony Blair recall parliament if he decides to commit British troops to war in Iraq, writes Frank Millar, London Editor
Mr David Davis, the recently demoted party chairman now shadowing the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr John Prescott, kept faith with the Labour government in stressing that his party had seen no evidence of a decision already taken.
However, he did seem to further narrow Mr Blair's options on the form consultation with the Westminster parliament might take, as senior Labour MPs continued to press for a Commons vote ahead of any troops deployment.
Dealing with the threat posed by Iraq raised "serious questions", said Mr Davis, and the Conservative Party recognised the importance of accountability within government. "If the Prime Minister makes a decision on committing troops he should recall parliament to debate the matter," he said.
His comments came shortly after Mr Tam Dalyell, the veteran Labour MP and "Father" of the Commons wrote again to Mr Blair, this time urging him to follow the example of President Bush, who has promised to consult the US Congress before launching any attempt to topple President Saddam Hussein.
Mr Dalyell demanded: "Don't you think you ought to give a straightforward undertaking in the next 24 hours that you will follow the United States and consult elected representatives before participating in an attack on Iraq?"
Mr Blair and his officials have consistently refused to be "pinned down" about the timing and form of consultation with MPs, prompting Mr Dalyell to warn earlier this week that it was always considered too early to recall parliament until it was too late.
And government fears about the possible scale of the Labour Party split over any action against Iraq was evident in briefings to several British newspapers yesterday, revealing mounting official and ministerial exasperation about an alleged lack of clarity over US intentions, and quoting Mr Blair assuring colleagues that any war against Iraq was "a long way off".
The Guardian also claimed that frustration with Washington extended to Sir David Manning, Mr Blair's chief foreign policy adviser, and said anxiety inside No 10 had been further raised by the results of polling conducted by the Prime Minister's private pollster, Mr Philip Gould, confirming that President Bush is deeply unpopular in the United Kingdom.
Two opinion polls earlier this week showed 52 per cent of those surveyed opposed to British backing for any American-led offensive against Iraq.
Despite the steady build-up of opposition, now extending well beyond the usual Labour "suspects", there is no suggestion of any imminent explosion of dissent within the Blair cabinet.
There has been consistent speculation that Ms Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, and Mr Robin Cook, the leader of the Commons, might quit their posts in opposition to any invasion.
However, perhaps significantly, the latest briefings point up understandable resentment among some British ministers that Mr Blair is already taking political flak over a seemingly inevitable war while President Bush has yet to spell out his clear intentions or the justification for any action he proposes to take.