“I’M NOT persuaded by the case for war. The arguments have been contradictory and inconsistent and the information has all too often been misleading as well as inconclusive.

“It’s no wonder that people are scared and confused.

“I say this to you quite seriously as somebody who personally happens not to be a pacifist but has the utter respect for anyone on grounds of conscience who is. As somebody who’s not actually anti-American but who’s deeply worried by this Bush administration and as someone who is under no illusion about the brutal dictatorship and appalling regime that is Saddam Hussein.

“But I conclude by returning to the United Nations.

“If the great powers of the world ignore it, then great damage will be done to the world order and the best hope of international justice for everybody in the world.

“And without a second UN resolution based on authoritative fact from the weapons inspectorate, I can assure you there is no way, in all conscience, that the Liberal Democrats could, or should, support a war.”