The shameless Blair

A prominent Labour politician will announce today that he is defecting to the Liberal Democrats in protest at Tony Blair's "lies" over Iraq. The defection of Brian Sedgemore, who is standing down after 27 years as a Labour MP, threatens to upset Mr Blair's apparently unstoppable campaign for a historic third term. Declaring that "enough is enough", Mr Sedgemore also reveals that a small group of unnamed fellow MPs who are standing down are secretly planning to leave the Labour Party in protest at Mr Blair's leadership after the election. (...) Writing in The Independent, Mr Sedgemore says: "I voted against the war on Iraq and it becomes clearer every day that Blair decided to go to war after meeting Bush on his Texas ranch in 2002. After that, he lied to persuade the country to support him. "The stomach-turning lies on Iraq were followed by the attempt to use the politics of fear to drive through Parliament a deeply authoritarian set of law-and-order measures that reminded me of the Star Chamber. The Star Chamber used torture but at least they allowed a proper trial before throwing someone into prison. That is when I decided enough was enough. "For some of us it's not just about the war, it's about top-up fees and privatising the health service. We were going to issue a joint statement. That would have been the easiest thing for me to do but I believe I owe it to voters to speak out now," he says.

Exclusive: Labour MP defects to Lib Dems over Iraq
By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor
The Independent
26 April 2005


Brian Sedgemore, a Labour MP of 27 years, has defected to the Liberal Democrats and urged voters to give Tony Blair a "bloody nose" at the general election next week. Mr Sedgemore, who is standing down from parliament and not contesting his Hackney South and Shoreditch seat, said he was leaving Labour after becoming increasingly disillusioned with the government over the Iraq war and "authoritarian" anti-terrorism legislation. He accused the prime minister of telling "stomach-turning lies" over Iraq and using the "politics of fear to drive through parliament a deeply authoritarian set of law and order measures". Making his first appearance as a Lib Dem this morning, he said: "It is against this background I decided I could no longer support the Labour party and would join the Liberal Democrats." "I urge everyone from the centre and the left of British politics to give Tony Blair a bloody nose in the general election."

Labour veteran Brian Sedgemore defects to Lib Dems
Hélène Mulholland
The Guardian
Tuesday April 26, 2005