Bernard Jenkin has called for defence secretary Geoff Hoon to resign, saying he has "lost all credibility".

Addressing party members gathered in Blackpool, the shadow defence secretary renewed his call for a full investigation into events leading up to the war with Iraq.

"The Hutton inquiry is laying bare the true character of New Labour," Jenkin said. "Mr Hoon confessed to the Hutton inquiry that he had no idea what was going on in his own department.

"Not so much his finger on the button, as found sleeping at the switch.

"He has lost all credibility."

Jenkin also said that the prime minister should have stuck to the "simple truth" when presenting the case for war.

But Tony Blair had been forced to exaggerate because "he could not convince his own party, his own MPs and now, not even his own Cabinet".

"He squandered the integrity of his office to appease factions in his divided party," Jenkin added.

He also criticised the government for cutting the size of the armed forces and moving towards greater European cooperation on defence.

"The British armed forces are Britain's prize asset Mr Blair's aces in international politics. But he is recklessly throwing them away to appease European federalism," said Jenkin.