Jack Straw: Man of principle

Straw 'begged Blair' not to join Iraq war. I'm really getting far too cynical - my first thought on seeing this was 'ah, Jack thinks Tony's going to have to quit and this is way of appealing to the anti-war wing of Labour for their support in the ensuing leadership election.':

Straw is said to have written a confidential ‘personal minute’ to Blair saying the UK should offer the Americans "political and moral support" in their campaign against Saddam Hussein, but not military backing.

Straw is said to have argued that the United Nations’ refusal to back the invasion would make it damaging for Britain to take part. The Foreign Secretary reportedly urged Blair to tell President George Bush that British troops would help clear up the mess and keep the peace once the war was over, but would play no part in Saddam’s overthrow.

But the shocked Prime Minister rejected Straw’s plea point-blank, telling him there was no going back and making him promise to keep quiet, according to the book by political journalist John Kampfner, entitled Blair’s War.

Kampfner, political editor of the New Statesman, wrote: "He (Blair) asked him to clarify whether or not he would support the war, now that it was definitely going to happen.

"Straw said he would. They agreed to put the issue behind them. Having expressed his reservations and seen them rejected, Straw fell firmly into line, arguing the case for war with as much vigour as anyone else."