View source for Parliamentary motion to impeach Tony Blair

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In November 2004, a cross-party group of British members of parliament tabled a motion in the [[House of Commons]] to [[Impeachment in the United Kingdom|impeach]] the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] at the time, [[Tony Blair]] for "[[high crimes and misdemeanours]]". The motion was never debated.
==Viability==
{{Main|Impeachment in the United Kingdom}}
In the UK the most recent previous impeachment motion was made in 1848 (by [[Thomas Chisholm Anstey]] against the Foreign Secretary [[Lord Palmerston]], who was accused of concluding a secret treaty with Russia). The campaigners first needed to establish that impeachment was still viable in modern politics. On 17 November 2004 the speaker ruled their motion in order and it was tabled for the next session.
==Initial presentation==
In August 2004, [[Plaid Cymru]] MP [[Adam Price]] commissioned and published the report: ''A Case to Answer: a first report on the potential impeachment of the Prime Minister for High Crimes and Misdemeanours in relation to the invasion of Iraq''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070703031010/http://www.impeachblair.org/downloads/A_Case_To_Answer.pdf Wayback Machine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The document was written by Dr Glen Rangwala<ref>[http://mediaguide.admin.cam.ac.uk/FMPro?-db=experts&-format=detail.html&-lay=data%5fentry&-sortfield=family%5fname&Areas%5fof%5fExpertise=International%20Affairs&-max=2147483647&-recid=33127&-find= Find an expert | Communications<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> (lecturer of politics at [[University of Cambridge]]) and [[Dan Plesch]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.danplesch.net/plesch.html |title=Welcome to Adobe GoLive 5 |access-date=14 September 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040828070905/http://www.danplesch.net/plesch.html |archive-date=28 August 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (Honorary Fellow of [[Birkbeck, University of London]].)
==Legal opinion==
The campaign hired solicitor [[Phil Shiner]] of [[Public Interest Lawyers]] to represent their case. They have also asked [[Matrix Chambers]] to draw up a legal opinion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://impeachblair.org/Legal_Opinion_final_22.09.04.pdf|title=IN THE MATTER OF AN IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRIME MINISTER|last=Singh QC|first=Rabinder|author2=Professor Conor Gearty|date=22 September 2004|accessdate=8 June 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040923122139/http://www.impeachblair.org/Legal_Opinion_final_22.09.04.pdf|archivedate=23 September 2004}}</ref> Matrix is known for its advocacy of human rights cases and for being the [[barristers' chambers]] of Blair's wife and [[Queen's Counsel]], [[Cherie Booth]]. Booth was not involved in the case due to the obvious conflict of interest.
==Drafting team==
The drafting team for the motion was announced on 13 October 2004:
<gallery>
File:DouglasHogg 20040917.jpg|[[Douglas Hogg]] {{postnom|country=GBR|QC|MP}}
File:Edward Garnier, Solicitor General.jpg|[[Edward Garnier]] {{postnom|country=GBR|QC|MP}}
File:Elfyn Llwyd MP.jpg|[[Elfyn Llwyd]] {{postnom|country=GBR|MP}}
File:Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland (cropped).jpg|[[Alex Salmond]] {{postnom|country=GBR|MP}}
</gallery>
It appeared that the team would also draft the articles of impeachment. In earlier impeachment cases, this has usually been done after the motion, although it also occurred first in [[Impeachment of Warren Hastings|the case of Warren Hastings]].
The drafting team completed the text of the impeachment motion on 7 November 2004.
==Impeachment motion==
{{blockquote|{{strong|Impeachment Motion{{snd}}Conduct of the Prime Minister in relation to the war against Iraq}}
That a select committee of not more than 13 Members be appointed to investigate and to report to the House on the conduct of the Prime Minister in relation to the war against Iraq and in particular to consider;
(a) the conclusion of the Iraq Survey Group that in March 2003 Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction and had been essentially free of them since the mid 1990s
(b) the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement that he was wrong when in and before March 2003 he asserted that Iraq was then in possession of chemical or biological weapons or was then engaged in active efforts to develop nuclear weapons or was thereby a current or serious threat to the UK national interest or that possession of WMD then enabled Iraq to inflict real damage upon the region and the stability of the world
(c) the opinion of the Secretary General of the United Nations that the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was unlawful
(d) whether there exist sufficient grounds to impeach the Rt Hon Tony Blair on charges of gross misconduct in his advocacy of the case for war against Iraq and in his conduct of policy in connection with that war.
That the Committee shall within 48 days of its appointment report to this House such resolutions, articles of impeachment or other recommendations as it shall think fit.}}
The legal advisers to the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]], [[Michael Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn|Michael Martin]], approved the wording of the motion on 17 November 2004. The motion was tabled for the first day of the next session (the day after the [[Queen's Speech]]) on 24 November 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7612 |title=Impeachment |publisher=House of Commons Library |date=6 June 2016 |accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref> However, the main three parties forbade their MPs from signing the motion and it was never selected for debate.
If the motion had been selected, it would have allowed MPs to debate matters that parliamentary language otherwise forbids. For example, on 17 March 2005, the anniversary of going to war, Price accused Tony Blair of misleading the house.<ref>[https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2005-03-17.411.3 Tomorrow is the second anniversary...: 17 Mar 2005: House of Commons debates - TheyWorkForYou<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Because this breached the rules of parliamentary language, he was required to leave the House for the remainder of the day. However, such rules only apply to debate within the House. In press and radio and television interviews, other MPs have accused Blair of lying to the House and to the British people,<ref>[http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/election/tm_objectid=15453413&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=i-have-never-lied--says-defiant-blair-name_page.html News: Liverpool and Merseyside news - Liverpool Echo<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> including then opposition leader [[Michael Howard]].
==See also==
* [[British war crimes]]
* [[Casualties of the Iraq War]]
* [[Civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]]
* [[Efforts to impeach George W. Bush]]
* [[Opposition to the Iraq War]]
* [[Opposition to the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)]]
* [[Taking Liberties (film)]]
* [[War crimes in Afghanistan]]
* [[War crimes in the Iraq War]]
==Further reading==
*''A Case To Answer'' and the legal opinion in printed form by [[Spokesman Books]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spokesmanbooks.com/Impeach%20Blair.htm |title=Impeach Blair |publisher=Spokesman Books |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041204193226/http://www.spokesmanbooks.com/Impeach%20Blair.htm |archive-date=4 December 2004}}</ref> {{ISBN|0-85124-704-0}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3600438.stm |title=Blair impeachment campaign starts |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=27 August 2004}}
*{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3682266.stm |title='Impeach Blair' wins legal backing |publisher=BBC News |date=23 September 2004}}
*{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4358313.stm |title=Adam Price thrown out of the commons |publisher=BBC News |date=17 March 2005}}
*{{cite news |date= 21 September 2010 |title= Tony Benn on Tony Blair: “He Will Have to Live ’Til the Day He Dies with the Knowledge that He Is Guilty of a War Crime” |url= https://www.democracynow.org/2010/9/21/british_mp_tony_benn_on_tony |work= [[Democracy Now!]]}}
{{Tony Blair}}
[[Category:Political campaigns in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Premiership of Tony Blair]]
[[Category:Impeachment in the United Kingdom|Blair, Tony]]
[[Category:2004 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Cross-party campaigns]]
[[Category:Politics of the Iraq War]]
[[Category:United Kingdom in the Iraq War]]