British troops wait for war

British troops have begun to deploy in Kuwait, it was reported today, in a new and critical stage of the build-up to a possible war with Iraq.

Elements of the Army's 102 logistics brigade, including its commander, were said to be in place and preparing a base for an armed ground force.

Although there was no immediate confirmation from the Ministry of Defence the operation, at a natural attack point in any campaign in neighbouring Iraq, is an essential stage in the long expected move to despatch tanks to the Gulf.

The formal announcement of a British ground force, which could eventually involve as many as 20,000 troops, could come later this week.

The news of the latest preparations for military action came as alarm in the Labour Party - and threats of mass revolt - hit a new high.

The Cabinet's leading dove, International Development Secretary Clare Short, yesterday delivered her strongest warning yet that there must be no attack on Saddam Hussein without clear authority from the United Nations. "It feels very dangerous. This is very risky. I agree with everyone's fears," she said on ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby programme. "There is a way through this - stick with the UN. There's no other way out."

Asked if that meant that Britain would refuse to join a US-led assault without explicit UN backing, she replied: "That's the logic of the position."

Tony Blair will this afternoon make a new attempt to allay Labour fears, when he gives the latest of his monthly press conferences.

The Prime Minister is expected to reaffirm that the UN weapons inspectors must be given time to do their work in tracking down the arsenal of weapons of mass destruction which Britain and the US are convinced Saddam is concealing.

But there was no sign that Mr Blair was prepared to abandon his bottom line, which is that Iraq must in the end be forced to disarm, with or without UN approval.

The unspoken fear among ministers is that the hawks in the Bush administration could push for a military strike, perhaps as early as next month, without waiting for a final verdict from the UN. America's impatience at delay was reinforced by a suggestion today that the weapons inspections might not be completed until 2004.

That timetable is likely to be seen as hopelessly unrealistic both by Washington and by the Ministry of Defence in London. Mr Blair was today under pressure from opposing sides, with the service chiefs urging swift, clear decisions and the Labour Party demanding caution.

The latest opinion poll by YouGov for ITV found a clear majority of the public, 58 per cent, did not feel Saddam was dangerous enough to justify war, with only one in three believing he was.

The US Navy has ordered fast-attack submarines to accompany some of its war ships as concern in Washington rises that the al Qaeda terrorist network is planning a major strike. US officials believe al Qaeda is planning to target shipping lanes on which the Western economy depends.