- Robin Cook last night let rip months of frustration with
Tony Blair's Iraq policy when he used his cabinet resignation speech to
warn colleagues that "history will be astonished at the diplomatic
miscalculations" which now look certain to bring war in a matter of
days.
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- In a sustained demolition job on the prime minister's
strategy, which earned him a rare standing ovation from anti-war MPs, the
ex-leader of the house praised the absent Mr Blair's "heroic efforts"
and said he wants no part in attempts to overthrow him.
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- But, in urging the Commons to assert its authority by
voting tonight to block British involvement in a war "that has neither
international authority nor domestic support", Mr Cook challenged
US motives - and warned that "we delude ourselves about the degree
of international hostility to military action" if Britain simply blames
the threatened French veto at the UN.
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- The international development secretary, Clare Short,
announced that she would be "reflecting overnight" on whether
to join Mr Cook on the rebellious Labour backbenches where he spoke last
night for the first time in 23 years. However, sources indicated that she
had made up her mind to stay in office.
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- Mr Cook slipped into No 10 to see Mr Blair before yesterday's
emergency cabinet meeting which followed the announcement that Britain
and the US had formally abandoned the search for UN support.
-
- He later left by a side door, £70,000 a year poorer,
to issue a statement regretting Anglo-US isolation in the war against terrorism
and Mr Blair's isolation from other leftwing parties in Europe.
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- Mr Cook also took issue with the prime minister's jibe,
in his letter of thanks for years of hard work and friendship, that as
foreign secretary he had backed the war in Kosovo without a UN vote. That
war was supported by Nato, the EU and Serbia's neighbours, he pointed out.
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- Downing Street said he signalled last week he would quit.
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- But the long-awaited break sounded alarm bells ahead
of today's Commons debate on the crisis, which critics say will increase
last month's rebellion by 122 Labour MPs to over 150, and will trigger
more resignations.
-
- A full scale damage-limitation exercise under way last
night included an article in today's Guardian by the former US president,
Bill Clinton, urging Labour MPs to trust Mr Blair. It was also revealed
that Cherie Blair had phoned Mps asking them for support.
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- At Westminster, senior ministers including Gordon Brown
and Jack Straw - who made an hour-long statement to MPs - called in their
backbench waverers to pile blame on President Jacques Chirac's "in
no circumstances" veto of the second UN resolution.
-
- Significantly, Mr Brown and the home secretary, David
Blunkett - the most likely contenders for Mr Blair's job if the road to
Baghdad ends in unexpected military disaster - also went out of their way
to stress support for the prime minister at a cabinet that was solidly
behind the policy except for Ms Short's well-publicised doubts.
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