This is the first difficult period we have had as a Government

“This is the first difficult period we have had as a Government. Ministers are still deciding whether to dispatch further British forces to Iraq.There is deep anxiety in the Labour leadership ahead of the local and European elections on 10 June about a possible revolt by party supporters against the war. We are now in our eighth year of power, and we will obviously have to listen to what voters tell us on June 10.”What we need is to keep our eye on the ball of a British Government, led by Tony Blair, making sure that for the first time we have the prospect of opening up democratic elections next year, free democratic elections for the first time and in the meantime an interim Iraqi government established at the end of June Let’s focus on that instead of all the side issues.”. If it is different from the American government’s view I don’t think we should shy from it for that reason.”. British officials warned of “heavy-handed” American tactics in Iraq and cautioned that revelations about the abuse of prisoners had “sapped the moral authority” of the US-led coalition, according to a leaked report published yesterday. where I think it would be perfectly appropriate and proper for him to give the British Government’s view of things That’s not really asking necessarily for public criticism I’m asking for the British Government’s view of things.

He said: “I hope in private the Prime Minister makes his views clear but there are occasions … I still think that was right.”I agree with the Prime Minister that we have to see things through. It’s precisely because I share those objectives and we supported the decision to go to war that I am so concerned when things go wrong and some things have gone wrong.”I think I have a duty to ask questions about that and to be critical when it is appropriate for me.”Mr Howard insisted he was not pressing for public criticism of the Bush administration. Mr Howard said he had not been “deluged” with protest letters from Republicans despite claims that the White House “hates” the Tory leader and has let it be known the administration believes the Conservatives are not supportive enough over Iraq. Yesterday Mr Howard told the BBC’s Breakfast with Frost programme the Conservatives would support additional troop deployments to Iraq if the Government “makes a proper case”.

He said: “Iain is entirely entitled to his views, if they are his views They’re not my views We supported the decision to go to war I agreed with that. The former Tory leader was said to have told colleagues Mr Howard’s approach was “not too clever” and said the new policy was “asking for trouble”.Mr Howard has faced widespread criticism after he called on Mr Blair to abandon his decision not to criticise the White House, a move which represented a sharp break with Mr Duncan Smith’s policy of remaining resolutely supportive of the war and its aftermath.Yesterday he insisted that those who believed he should be united with Mr Blair “misunderstand the nature of our Parliamentary democracy”. Michael Howard insisted yesterday that he would maintain pressure on Tony Blair to justify the Government’s handling of the aftermath of war in Iraq.
The Tory leader rejected criticism of his decision to break ranks with the Prime Minister over Iraq, declaring: “I have a duty to ask questions and be critical when it’s appropriate for me to do so.” He warned that people “have not faced up” to the damage caused by the prisoner-abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib jail.Mr Howard shrugged off reports that his predecessor, Iain Duncan Smith, was angry at his shift in policy, and indicated that Mr Blair cannot rely on the Conservatives’ unquestioning support for additional troop deployments to Iraq. Compared with the size of the national economy it is not all that significant, but as we enter the public-spending round there are commitments which we will not be able to make.”He warned that the huge US military spending in Iraq was helping to fuel the American budget deficit. “When you stack all of this spending up in the context of the widening fiscal deficit, there are wide implications for the rest of the world, building up long-term interest rates which everybody ultimately has to pay.”He also warned that oil dealers were paying a $10-a-barrel risk premium because of the increasing attacks by Iraqi insurgents on many of the country’s oil installations.. Mr Cable said the long-term effect of the war could be damaging to the global economy, with instability in the Gulf contributing to increasing oil prices, and American borrowing to fund military action threatening to increase long-term interest rates.He said: “The first Gulf war cost £2.5bn but Britain got 80 per cent of that back because it was backed by the United Nations.