Chisholm breaks ranks over war

Published on Sunday 16 March 2003 00:00

SCOTLAND’S health minister Malcolm Chisholm yesterday broke ranks with his cabinet colleagues to come out against military action in Iraq, saying he deeply regretted backing the government’s policy in a Holyrood vote.

The Labour MSP for Edinburgh North and Leith admitted he had put loyalty to his Executive colleagues before his personal views, a decision he described as "immoral". He added Tony Blair seemed ready to plunge Britain into "the abyss" by embarking on a war against Iraq.

Labour narrowly avoided an embarrassing vote against the Prime Minister’s stance following a tense debate called by the SNP on Thursday when Chisholm and other Labour MSPs opposed to war chose to stick to the party line.

Scotland on Sunday understands that two of Chisholm’s cabinet colleagues, culture minister Mike Watson and the education minister Cathy Jamieson, are also deeply uneasy about the prospect of war without UN backing although neither is expected to resign from Jack McConnell’s cabinet.

The First Minister, who is deeply worried about the impact the war could have on Labour’s Scottish election campaign which begins next month, has told ministers they can oppose the government line because defence is a responsibility reserved to Westminster.

The anti-war campaign group Labour for Justice not War claimed last night that over 200 of Labour’s 540 sitting councillors have backed resolutions against military action.

In addition, 33 constituency Labour Parties have also passed votes which either oppose military action outright or say it should only go ahead with the full backing of the UN.

These local parties include Motherwell and Wishaw, the seat of McConnell; Airdrie and Shotts, which is represented by Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell; Eastwood, the seat of Jim Murphy, a junior whip; and Cunninghame North, the seat of government minister Brian Wilson.

Only six Labour MSPs rebelled against the party line in last week’s Holyrood vote by backing an amendment from party left-winger John McAllion which insisted "no case for military action against Iraq has been proven".

A further three Labour backbenchers abstained on McAllion’s anti-war amendment although it was ultimately defeated with 57 votes for, 62 against and three abstentions.

In a frank interview yesterday, Chisholm confessed he had been troubled by his actions. "I certainly felt very uneasy over the last 36 hours, in fact I feel I let myself down very badly. I was going to vote with John McCallion until the last moment and I was prevailed upon not to.

"I think, on reflecting on it, what happened was that I put loyalty to my colleagues before what I knew to be right and I think ultimately that is an immoral thing to do."

Chisholm said the case for war had not been proven and that he felt it was right to "speak out".

He added that Labour politicians should do all in their power to persuade Blair not to send in the troops.

"I hope that the party, at this last hour, can pull back the Prime Minister from the abyss in which he seems ready to plunge us," he said.

Chisholm spoke out after anti-war protesters lobbied him outside a constituency surgery at Leith Library yesterday morning.

Borrowing their megaphone, the minister told them he had been wrong not to oppose war and how he had struggled with his conscience since then.

A spokesman for the First Minister said he was relaxed about Chisholm’s decision. Because defence is a reserved matter, he said that neither Chisholm nor the junior culture minister Elaine Murray who abstained during the vote last week had breached Scottish Executive rules on collective responsibility.

The SNP last night said Chisholm’s U-turn had come too late. Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP campaign co-ordinator, said: "For Malcolm Chisholm now to suffer an attack of conscience over his support for Bush and Blair is to be welcomed, but it will not remove the stain of complicity from the health minister."

A Scottish Tory spokesman added: "This kind of behaviour of saying one thing and doing another has done so much to damage this government.

"Our main criticism of Labour over the past few months has been the fact that from the Prime Minister down they have not presented a united case and that has undermined Britain’s resolve to take action should it be necessary."

But other cabinet ministers may break ranks with McConnell this week.