Short: Toppling Saddam 'not worth one death'

Clare Short risked another confrontation with Tony Blair over Iraq when she claimed yesterday that the "death of a human being" was not a "price worth paying" for the toppling of Saddam Hussein.

The Secretary of State for International Development, who infuriated ministers and backbenchers by reneging on her threat to resign if Britain went to war without UN backing, also criticised the Government for failing to prepare adequately for the aftermath of the fall of President Saddam.

Ms Short made her outspoken comments at a press briefing in London yesterday, from which British newspapers were excluded. She said: "The likelihood of very rapid regime collapse, and then the complete collapse of all public services and the kind of disorder we've had clearly weren't prepared for ...

"There is an enormous amount to do, the situation is very worrying, we must very urgently bring order so that people can get water, power, so the medical systems can get working."