Most Brits ‘unconvinced’ of Afghan campaign
By politics.co.uk staff
Almost two-thirds of Britons remain unconvinced that British troops should remain in Afghanistan, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by ComRes for the BBC, found 60 per cent of respondents questioned the government’s arguments for staying in Afghanistan.
Age played a prominent part in the survey, with young people more likely to support the conflict than older people.
Forty-nine per cent of 25-37 year olds were unconvinced of the government’s argument, while 70 per cent of over-65s felt the same.
That trend was reversed when it came to the argument over an Iraq inquiry.
A huge majority of 18-24 year olds – 81 per cent – wanted an inquiry into the invasion, while the figure for the general population stood at 72 per cent.
But the government continues to resist those calls, stressing that an inquiry is unsuitable while troops are still in the country.
Both opposition parties disagree with that assessment.
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Edward Davey said: “The British public are right to demand a full public inquiry into the Iraq war.
“Ministers manipulated and spun the facts to create a pretext for joining the US in the invasion of Iraq. That is an insult to our democracy.”
