Howard accuses PM of lying about Iraqi weapons

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Michael Howard has accused Tony Blair of lying over Iraq's weapons in a new attempt to put distance between the Tories and the Government over the war.

In an interview in today'sNew Statesman magazine, the Tory leader said: "Iraq has been the catalyst for the distrust with which people regard the present government. I think people hold the view pretty firmly now that they were lied to over Iraq. I don't think that's the only think they were lied to about, but Iraq is the great catalyst for the loss of trust in the Government."

In the past, Mr Howard has stopped short of accusing the Prime Minister of lying. Asked whether he believed the British people were lied to, he replied: "Over Iraq? Yes. Notably when he had intelligence, as is set out in full in the Butler report, which was hedged with qualifications, caveats, warnings, which he translated into certainty. That was the unambiguous evidence that he put to the country."

The Tory leader's interview shows that he is determined to exploit Mr Blair's continuing problems over Iraq, even though the Opposition supported military action.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=567210