David Miliband: 'Bush the worst thing to happen to Blair'
The former Foreign Secretary David Miliband has told ITV's The Agenda that "George Bush was the worst thing ever to happen to Tony Blair."
Tony Blair and George W Bush pictured together in 2007 Credit: Abaca/EMPICS Entertainment
Speaking a fortnight before the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, he said: "Before I became an MP I worked for Tony Blair in Downing Street and I watched him with President Clinton and I watched him go through the agony before the intervention in Kosovo, which saved a lot of lives.
"There's no question in my mind that if you compare that to the post 2001 period George Bush was the worst thing ever to happen to Tony Blair if I contrast those two relationships with one American President and with the next.
"Because the first term of the Bush administration took America and the world on a very different course than had been set in the post Cold War period."
The Agenda with Tom Bradby is on ITV at 10.35pm.
You can join in the debate on Twitter by using the hashtag #TheAgenda
Organisers of a conference in the Cayman Islands claim they are forbidden from releasing details of a speech former President George W. Bush will make at the event.
Former President George W. Bush pictured last year Credit: Reuters/Hans Deryk
The former president's keynote speech is also "totally closed to journalists", Dan Kneipp, a spokesman for the Cayman Alternative Investment Summit, told the Associated Press, adding, "We've got a complete blackout on discussing the Bush details".
Tony Blair reacts to Desmond Tutu's calls for trial
Tony Blair has reacted to Archbishop Desmond Tutu's claim that he should face trial at the International Criminal Court for his role in the Iraq war.
Mr Blair said today:
I have a great respect for Archbishop Tutu's fight against apartheid - where we were on the same side of the argument- but to repeat the old canard that we lied about the intelligence is completely wrong as every single independent analysis of the evidence has shown.
And to say that the fact that Saddam massacred hundreds of thousands of his citizens is irrelevant to the morality of removing him is bizarre. We have just had the memorials both of the Halabja massacre where thousands of people were murdered in one day by Saddam's use of chemical weapons; and that of the Iran-Iraq war where casualties numbered up to a million including many killed by chemical weapons.
In addition his slaughter of his political opponents, the treatment of the Marsh Arabs and the systematic torture of his people make the case for removing him morally strong. But the basis of action was as stated at the time.
In short this is the same argument we have had many times with nothing new to say. But surely in a healthy democracy people can agree to disagree. I would also point out that despite the problems Iraq today has an economy three times or more in size with child mortality rate cut by a third of what it was. And with investment hugely increased in places like Basra.
Tony Blair should face trial at the Hague over Iraq, says Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu today called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be taken to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for their role in the Iraq war.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be taken to the International Criminal Court in The Hague Credit: Matt Cardy/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Writing in today's Observer, the Nobel Peace Prize winner has accused the former British and US leaders of lying about weapons of mass destruction and said the invasion left the world more destabilised and divided "than any other conflict in history".
He said: "The then leaders of the United States and Great Britain fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand - with the spectre of Syria and Iran before us."
As for the call for Mr Blair and Mr Bush to face justice in The Hague, he said different standards appeared to be set for prosecuting African leaders than western ones, and that the death toll during and after the Iraq conflict was sufficient on its own for them to face action.
