In 1982, she had ordered the British Task Force to liberate the Falkland Islands from the Argentinian invaders.īut Iraq 2003 can never be justified politically or militarily - it was based on poor intelligence and the UK was bullied into the conflict by the United States, the latter eager to secure oil interests in the region. The British Prime Minister at that time was Tory Maggie Thatcher, later Baroness Thatcher. That war by the coalition forces, including the UK and the USA, was fully justified. Iraq 2003 was not Kuwait 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded the latter state. In short, there was no need for the UK to go to war there was no need for our personnel to die, be wounded, or be maimed. It is a detailed analysis of one of the greatest British military disasters since the decision by the Light Brigade to charge Russian guns during the Crimean War of the 1850s.Ĭhilcot concluded that then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not pose an urgent threat to British interests that intelligence on so-called ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ (WMDs) was presented with ‘unwarranted certainty’, and that peaceful alternatives to war with Iraq had not been exhausted. This is no ‘Johnny come lately’, thrown-together report. That Chilcot Inquiry had a number of damning findings when it reported in 2016 - some seven years after it was announced in 2009. That specific knighthood is also drenched with the tears of the relatives of those dead personnel who have to carry the burden of their loss it is also tainted with the pain of the veterans who have to cope with the mental and physical scars of serving in that conflict. Perhaps Tony B, before accepting the Queen’s knighthood, should have taken the time to tour the church, community and war cemeteries where the hundreds of British service and UK Government civilian dead are buried.Ī knighthood is one of the highest honours the Queen can bestow on a person, but this specific knighthood is stained with the blood of British personnel who died needlessly in that Iraq War once the benchmark of the Chilcot Inquiry findings are applied. With an online petition - which has no political clout in Westminster - signed by hundreds of thousands of folk demanding the Queen rescind Blair’s knighthood, the ‘Sir’ with the real problem is current Labour boss Sir Keir Starmer - what happens if all those hundreds of thousands of petition signatures turn into votes against Labour at the next Westminster General Election? Sir Tony, who left Downing Street more than 14 years ago, is one of three new appointments that were announced by the palace.Īppointments to the Garter are in the Queen’s gift and made without prime ministerial advice, and are usually announced on St George’s Day, April 23, but she can do so at any time, and chose this one to coincide with the New Year Honours.įor more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.Dr John Coulter ✒ Short-term fury at former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair getting a knighthood from the Queen in the New Year Honours will be nothing compared to the long-term political fallout for current Labour boss Sir Keir Starmer in any future Westminster General Election, maintains TPQ's contentious political Monday columnist.īased on the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry into the 2003 Iraq War, even the dogs in the street would advise former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair to hand back his knighthood awarded to him by the Queen in her New Year Honours. His former defence secretary Geoff Hoon wrote in his recent memoir that his office was ordered by Downing Street to burn a secret memo saying the 2003 Iraq invasion could be illegal, according to the Daily Mail. The knighthood has provoked debate about the honours system, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying Boris Johnson has not “earned the right” of a knighthood after leaving office.īut Sir Keir insisted his predecessor at the top of the Labour Party had earned his knighthood, arguing he “made Britain a better country”. However, the petition was rejected on the UK Government and Parliament petition site, as they "can't accept petitions that relate to honours and appointments, which includes calling for an honour to be removed". Demonstrators in 2010 protest in London as Tony Blair was due to give evidence at the Iraq war inquiry (Image: PA)
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