(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The vast majority of people in Britain think there should be an investigation into the reasons for sending British troops to Iraq, according to a poll by Communicate Research released by the BBC. 72 per cent of respondents think an inquiry should be conducted.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The vast majority of people in Britain think there should be an investigation into the reasons for sending British troops to Iraq, according to a poll by Communicate Research released by the BBC. 72 per cent of respondents think an inquiry should be conducted.
During the tenure of British prime minister Tony Blair, Britain committed troops to both the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the U.S.-led coalition effort in Iraq. The conflict against Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was launched in March 2003. At least 4,578 coalition soldiers have died during the military operation in Iraq, including 179 Britons.
Last year, Labour leader and prime minister Gordon Brown said there would be no inquiry into Britain’s role in the invasion of Iraq until all of Britain’s service men and women returned to the country—which is due to happen in July 2009.
On Mar. 19, Carne Ross, a former diplomat who resigned from the Foreign Office over the handling of intelligence reports asserting that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, said that Britain needs an inquiry into the country’s participation in the war. Ross declared: "I feel very strongly that there has still not been proper accountability over what happened in Iraq. (…) There should be a full public inquiry, or Parliamentary inquiry, into the decision-making that took place."
Polling Data
Gordon Brown said last year that there would be no inquiry into Britain’s role in the invasion of Iraq until all of Britain’s service personnel had left Iraq which is scheduled for July. Once that happens do you think there should or should not be an official inquiry in Britain’s role in the invasion?
|
Yes |
72% |
|
No |
24% |
|
Not sure |
4% |
Source: Communicate Research / BBC
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,013 British adults, conducted from Mar. 6 to Mar. 8, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
