Following the announcement from Michael Howard that the Conservatives will no longer be participating in the Butler inquiry, Charles Kennedy, Leader of the Liberal Democrats said:
"It's encouraging to see that where the Liberal Democrats lead, the Conservatives eventually follow.
"The political judgment of the leadership of the Conservative party has been one of spectacular failure whenever it attempts to deal with issues arising from the most controversial political issue of our time - the Iraq war.
"The Conservatives were the principal cheerleaders for the government in supporting military action. Throughout the build up to war, they failed to ask the relevant and telling critical questions.
"Since becoming party leader, Michael Howard sought to pre-empt the judgment of the Hutton inquiry. He then signed up for the Butler inquiry, insisting he had changed the terms of reference to ensure the relevant questions would be asked. My party refused to take part because the Prime Minister said it would be 'undemocratic' for Lord Butler to consider the political judgments which led us to war.
"Now Mr Howard is in the embarrassing position of having withdrawn his party's official endorsement of Lord Butler's inquiry. Yet the Conservative representative, Michael Mates, is staying on in a 'private capacity.'
"This is not effective opposition politics; it's farce. Michael Howard's political credibility will be very seriously damaged."
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