Brown's Iraq visit a 'photo op'
2007-10-02 18:37
Blackpool - Britain's opposition Conservatives dismissed a visit by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to Iraq as a "photo opportunity" on Tuesday, as the move further fuelled talk of a snap election.
Brown announced that 1 000 British troops will be coming home by Christmas, during the flying trip to the violence-wracked country which proved a political quagmire for his predecessor Tony Blair.
Tory defence spokesperson Liam Fox criticised the lack of attention given to Iraq by Brown in a keynote address at his ruling Labour Party's annual conference last week, saying there had been only 126 words on the subject.
"One word for every two service men or women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan - I hope you remember that when you are having your photo opportunities in Iraq today," he said.
Brown announced the troop withdrawal plans during his first trip to Iraq since succeeding Blair as premier in June, saying British troop numbers can be cut from 5 500 to 4 500 by the end of the year.
Political observers believe the move could herald Brown calling an early general election and that he could turn what was a political and electoral millstone for Blair into an advantage at the ballot box.
Amid continued calls for a pullout and 170 British military fatalities since 2003, Iraq has so far failed to impact on Brown's popularity ratings in the opinion polls, despite his vote in favour of the 2003 invasion.
Brown widely praised
In policy terms, Brown has so far shown little divergence from Blair on Iraq, although he has accepted the issue had been politically "divisive" and that "mistakes" were made in post-war planning and reconstruction.
The Tories have lost three elections in a row since Blair led Labour to a landslide victory in 1997, but their latest leader David Cameron has rebranded the party over the past year, notably bolstering their green credentials.
Before Blair stepped down it was widely assumed that the ruling party would slump in the polls, due to Brown's "dour" image in contrast to the young, media-friendly Cameron.
But in the past three months he has been widely praised for the handling of a series of crises, starting with failed terror attacks days after he took office, followed by record floods and an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.