HOW much longer do we have to wait before Tony Blair puts his hand up and admits that there was no urgency or justification for the invasion of Iraq without a UN mandate?

The 1,400-strong Iraq Survey Group has found nothing. The debriefing of captured and self-surrendered top Iraqi officials under Saddam Hussein has yielded nothing.

Hans Blix does not think that Iraq has had WMDs for more than 10 years. The occupying forces have had the run of the country for months to find something - anything - that would take the heat off Blair and Bush.

They have not found a single laboratory or delivery system that remotely amounted to a threat to this country or, for that matter, any country beyond Iraq's immediate neighbours, if that.

The Hutton enquiry revealed that intelligence stating a likelihood that Saddam would use WDMs, if attacked was changed. "If attacked" was removed.

No assessment was made about Saddam's reaction to the threat of a "disproportionate response" by the USA if Iraq used WMDs.

Deterrence has always been conveniently ignored even though no WMDs were used by Iraq this time or after the invasion of Kuwait.

In spite of all this, both Blair and Jack Straw persist in trying to justify the killing of uncounted tens of thousands if Iraqi civilians and soldiers on the grounds of fighting terrorism and removing an evil dictator. The

House of Commons would not have supported this without UN approval.

Just to rub our noses in it, President Bush has now been invited to make a state visit to this country. Of all the US presidents within living memory, Bush is the last to deserve such an honour.

It really does expose the loyalties and priorities of Blairism and "New" Labour.

PETER NIELSEN,

Worcester.