'Blair should say sorry over Iraq'

The Liberal Democrats stepped up pressure on Tony Blair to apologise over Iraq today, with senior MP Sir Menzies Campbell saying Britain had become too subservient to America.

Speaking ahead of the event, he declared: "Our relationship with America is one that must be rethought. America is our most important ally, but the strategy of unquestioning support in public, in the hope of influence in private, has very little to show for it.

"We would make a much better ally if we were more candid." He added: "We should not behave in a way that is so subordinate that it appears subservient."

His speech follows the dramatic leak of secret Downing Street documents that revealed Mr Blair was clearly warned that post-war Iraq could tie up British troops for years to come.

The leaked papers also revealed senior British officials reported that President Bush had made up his mind to oust Saddam Hussein at least a year before the invasion.

Mr Blair promised to support America while insisting in public that no decision had been taken, the documents leaked to the Daily Telegraph suggested.

The warnings delivered to Mr Blair were vindicated yesterday when the Prime Minister conceded that a "new Iraqi conf lict" - against terrorism - was now under way.

After talks at No10 with Iyad Allawi, the interim Iraqi prime minister, Mr Blair appealed for international solidarity against insurgents.

"I do say that in this new Iraqi conflict, whatever the disagreements about the removal of Saddam, there is only one side for sensible and decent people to be on," he said.

The Liberal Democrats aim to use their conference at Bournemouth this week to hammer home their opposition to the war in Iraq and believe their anti-war stance will prove a major vote winner at the next general election.

During his speech in Bournemouth today, Sir Menzies was set to reiterate a demand from party leader Charles Kennedy for Mr Blair to apologise for taking Britain into the war.

Sir Menzies said: "Tony Blair will find it much easier to enrol people in this second war - which has to be won - if he apologises for getting us into the first war in the first place." In a broadranging address he was also due to warn that the referendum on the EU Constitution could be lost unless those in favour of the new blueprint stepped up their efforts to win over the public.

"If we regard this as an issue to be left on the shelf, until after the next General Election, we will severely reduce our prospects of winning it.

"I think it is winnable, but it will take a degree of commitment - more than this government has so far demonstrated," he said.

The Liberal Democrats are staunchly in favour of the controversial constitution, and say the Government must waste no further time in launching a "yes" campaign.