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By Ned Simons - 20th April 2011
The only Conservative MP to vote against committing British forces to police the no-fly zone over Libya has said there is a "fair chance" the government misled Parliament over the real aim of the mission.
Speaking on Newsnight last night John Baron said he feared the news that British military advisers were to be deployed to assist Libyan rebels meant the government was taking steps beyond what originally approved by MPs.
Yesterday William Hague confirmed that the team would "support and advise" the opposition movement based in Benghazi but insisted it did not breach the terms of UN resolution 1973 which prohibited a foreign occupation.
The increased involvement has fueled fears of "mission creep" in Libya and raised questions about what technically constitutes putting Western "boots on the ground" in North Africa.
Ministers have already confirmed that Britain has been supplying telecommunications equipment to the anti-Gaddafi forces.
Baron said it appeared as if the government had subtly shifted its position from protecting civilians to regime change and thapt if this had been more explicit at the time of the Commons vote more MPs would have been likely to have joined him in the 'no' lobby.
Pressed on whether he thought David Cameron has misled Parliament the Tory backbencher said there was a "fair chance" he had.
He said a lot of Britain and France's Nato allies were having "second thoughts" about the mission and said they were "very suspicious we have gone beyond the mandate" of the UN resolution.
Article Comments
Everyone knew that Resolution 1973 gave carte blanche to expand the mission under almost any mealy mouthed pretext. The resolution's wording was left deliberately open so that the UK and France could expand the mission as they wished. Consequently, reason has been the first casualty as mission creep began from day one.
We are now engaged in taking sides in some one else's civil war. Indeed, we are now responsible for wasting Libyan lives when counselling diplomacy was absolutely required. Parliament was not misled, it was supine.
Shane Morrison
22nd Apr 2011 at 9:01 am
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