Father of dead soldier to stand against Blair
The father of a royal military policeman who died in Iraq has vowed to stand against Tony Blair at the forthcoming general election.
Reg Keys from Llanuwchllyn, north Wales will contest the Prime Minister’s Sedgefield seat after announcing he will switch his previous decision to stand against Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon.
Mr Keys announced his intention to stand against Mr Blair following Saturday’s anti-war march in London.
The 52-year-old told the BBC he had decided to stand against the Prime Minister because he wanted to continue the fight for “justice” for his son and other British service personnel killed in Iraq.
Lance Corporal Thomas Keys, 20, was one of six Red Caps killed by a mob of more than 400 Iraqis on June 24 2003.
A Ministry of Defence inquiry into the incident concluded that the soldiers’ deaths could not have been prevented.
But some of the families involved have accused the department of a cover-up and have called for an independent inquiry into the incident.
“This isn’t a publicity stunt, it’s a serious, full-blown political campaign to take the fight to Tony Blair’s doorstep,” said Mr Keys, commenting on his decision to stand in Sedgefield.
“There will be crackpots standing as independents but I shouldn’t be confused with them. I want to make him accountable for his actions in taking us to war,” he told the BBC.
“It will be a David and Goliath fight, but Goliath was a Philistine and I think that word sums up my opponent”, he added.
On Friday, ex-MI5 agent David Shayler also announced his intention to stand against Tony Blair in Sedgefield. The whistleblower, who was jailed for breaking the Official Secrets Act, will also campaign against the Prime Minister’s decision to go to war in Iraq.
