Nick Clegg: There are so many questions over this inept intervention

The news that Gordon Brown does support an inquiry into the Iraq war – but not yet – is another unexpected turn in a long line of misjudgements and half-truths in this country's catastrophic entanglement in George Bush's war in Iraq.

While the news is welcome, if overdue, the way it has snuck out is sadly symptomatic of the way matters of public interest are handled by the Brown administration; where the correct way of making such important announcements always seems to be cast aside in favour of secrecy and leaks.

However, we should be grateful that Gordon Brown has finally plucked up the courage to take the step that Tony Blair never would in granting a full inquiry into the most disastrous foreign policy blunder for many decades. Certainly not since Suez has this country committed itself to such a tragically doomed and ineptly handled overseas adventure.

Whilst it has been the subject of much public debate, the parliamentary time put aside for the Iraq war has been pitiful. Those hoping to quiz Tony Blair over the war's failure have only been able to fire the occasional question at him during Prime Minister's Questions. The inquiries that we have had into various aspects of the war have been narrow and piecemeal.

The standard refrain of ministers trying to deny the need for an inquiry has been that there is no point in looking to the past when we should be looking to the future. We should be thankful that there appears to be a realisation that the Iraq disaster needs to be examined in its entirety so that the numerous mistakes made can be avoided in the future.

There are questions that need to be asked. What was the rationale for the decision to go to war, and how much genuine discussion took place at cabinet level? How much planning went into what we would do after the invasion? How much of this was decided between Tony Blair and George Bush in secret? What was the advice from the intelligence community, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office? The list is endless.

There is one question that needs answering now: when is this inquiry going to take place? If the answer is that we will have to wait until our troops leave Iraq, then Gordon Brown has to set a proper timetable for withdrawal. Until that happens the questions will keep on coming.

The author is leader of the Liberal Democrats

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