LIBERAL DEMOCRAT HITS OUT AT JACK STRAW

Blackburn Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Paul English, hit out at Jack Straw this week following his decision to use his veto to prevent Cabinet minutes relating to the invasion of Iraq from being published.

Paul English said

"Mr. Straw has tried to justify his decision by claiming publication of these documents was not in the public interest. I would argue that the reasons why this country went to war and whether it was legal or not, is very much in the public interest."

"The Justice Secretary has been very unjust in using his veto, by over-ruling the Information Commissioners' decision. "

"Even more alarming is that Mr. Straw is in the position to veto minutes of a meeting where he was sitting as the Foreign Secretary and would have undoubtedly argued and supported the case for invading Iraq"

"So is this a case of it not being in the public interest. Or is it a case of it not being in Mr. Straw's interest."

"I am certain that if these minutes were beneficial to Mr. Straw and the Labour Government, they would indeed have been published. The argument that the decision is to protect Cabinet discussions does not hold up, especially as the Labour spin machine have previously published Cabinet minutes when it was deemed both favourable and advantageous to them"

"This decision also makes a mockery of the Freedom of Information Laws, which were implemented by Mr. Straw and the Labour Government."

ENDS