Reid Resists July 7 Inquiry Calls
Reid resists July 7 inquiry calls
http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/2006...e9fd90d15c.htm
5/11/2006
John Reid has resisted calls for a full public inquiry into the July 7 suicide bombings.
The home secretary told the Commons he understood why many people thought that a full inquiry should be held.
But he his predecessor Charles Clarke had explained last year why the government felt it was not right to hold such an inquiry, "a decision to which I concur".
A public inquiry would mean a "diversion of very precious resources needed for security and protection of everyone at a critical time", Reid said.
He will, however, be writing to those affected by the London attacks inviting them to meetings to "talk the issues through" and discuss the government's opposition to an inquiry.
But shadow home secretary David Davis said that Thursday's reports had raised "more questions than answers" about the July 7 events.
And he said an independent inquiry still needed to be held.
"Almost every previous major intelligence failure was dealt with by an independent inquiry," he said.
"I'm afraid that's not what we have today in the official account.
"It is the government's view, not an independent view, so as a result this process has left to many questions unresolved."
The Liberal Democrats are also still calling for a public inquiry.
Home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said the intelligence and security committee report had raised "legitimate questions".
But he added that the committee's limited remit could not provide answers to some of the outstanding questions concerning the motivation and behaviour of home-grown terrorists in British towns and cities.
"A public inquiry, which can enhance public understanding of the nature of the new terrorist threat in Britain and assist in targeting intelligence recourses in our own communities, is still required," he said.
And the Muslim Council of Britain also said the "enormity of the atrocities committed on July 7" warranted an "independent and robust public inquiry".
"We believe it is absolutely imperative that an independent public inquiry be held at the earliest" said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the MCB.
And relatives of those who died in the attack have also expressed concern about the use of the government's narrative.
Daniel Biddle, who lost his legs and an eye in the Edgware Road explosion, told BBC Breakfast: "To do a report a year on, it doesn't help anybody. To turn round and say no one was at fault, it doesn't help the survivor to get past it.
"To me, there's no justice because the person who's at fault killed himself when he set the bomb off.
"I can't get a sense of justice from any report. It doesn't enable me to move on."
Diana Gorodi, whose sister died in the bombings, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that if the Iraq war could be afforded then "surely we can afford to get protected in England."
And John Falding, whose partner Anat Rosenberg was killed in the Tavistock Square bus bombing, said: "It would be wrong to blame the security services too much because it does appear they were under-resourced.
"That raises in my mind the question of why they were under-resourced.
"Immediately after 9/11, and certainly reinforced by the attack on Iraq, you would have expected the powers-that-be to be saying to the security services, 'Can you cope? Have you got enough people? We fear there is going to be a backlash'.
"If they were asking for more resources that weren't being provided, then basically Number 10 failed."
Meanwhile, there have also been concerns about delays in providing adequate support to victims of the attacks.
