Vince Cable has said that Gordon Brown has "personal responsibility" for the situation in Iraq.

Speaking at prime minister's questions on Wednesday, the acting Liberal Democrat leader pointed out that 173 British troops had died during the transfer of power.

He said that "the Fascist regime of Saddam Hussein" had been replaced by "the terror of the Fascist militia who run the streets of Basra".

With the new Lib Dem leader announced next week, Cable used his last session of PMQs to point out "the various disasters of the last six months".

Pointing to Brown's "indecision over the election", "his inaction over Northern Rock" and "the gross incompetence" over the loss of the personal data of 25 million people, he said: "Isn't the real disaster for which the prime minister has personal responsibility the continuing tragedy in Iraq?"

However, Brown replied: "Iraq is now a democracy. Millions of people have voted. When I went to Basra only two days ago I found that there had been a 90 per cent fall in violence over the past few months and we are now able to hand over Basra to provincial Iraqi control."

The prime minister said that troops would not be engaged in a "combat role" but in a "training role supporting the Iraqi forces".

He pointed out that 50,000 people had been trained as police and security forces in the past few months, adding: "This is Iraqis taking control of their own security."