Deepcut: Blair Makes Öpik Wait For Blake

12.50.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 15th Mar 2006

"The Deepcut families have suffered enough."

At Prime Minister's Questions today, Lembit Öpik, MP for Montgomeryshire and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, asked Tony Blair to meet with the parents of the four young recruits who died at the Deepcut Army Barracks.

The Prime Minister said it would be inappropriate for him to comment before the publication of the Blake Review, on the 29th of March.

Commenting, Lembit, whose constituents, Des and Doreen James, are the parents of Cheryl James, who died at the Barracks in 1995, said:

"Tony Blair clearly acknowledged the seriousness of the situation. I'm not surprised he is holding his counsel for now, but frankly it would be inconceivable for the Prime Minister to refuse to meet the parents after the Blake Review is published. Especially if Nicholas Blake agrees with the Surrey Coroner's calls for a public inquiry into the Deepcut deaths.

"As soon as the Blake review is published, I intend to repeat my request for Mr. Blair to meet the families, and to ask urgent parliamentary questions to the Ministry of Defence.

"We won't stop campaigning until we get truth and justice for the Deepcut parents."

At Prime Minister's questions, Lembit asked:

"Is the Prime Minister aware that it's now more than ten years since Cheryl James, the daughter of my constituents, Des and Doreen James, died at the Deepcut Army Barracks, and still her parents don't know how or why she died. Is he aware that on Friday the Surrey Coroner, Michael Burgess, in his summation at the inquest into the death of James Collinson, said: 'the Ministry of Defence should take whatever steps are necessary to restore public confidence in the recruitment and training of young soldiers whether at Deepcut or elsewhere", and that "they have nothing to fear from an inquiry held in public where the various issues can be explored in greater depth.' And will the Prime Minister agree to meet with myself and the parents of the four recruits who died at Deepcut, after the publication of the Blake Review, to discuss the case for a full, independent public inquiry into those deaths?"

Tony Blair responded:

"I hope the Honourable Gentleman will understand that the report by Nicholas Blake QC has not yet been finalised and I understand it will be finalised at the end of this month and I don't believe I can comment further until then."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Four young recruits, including Cheryl James, died at the Deepcut Army Barracks between 1995 and 2002. The Surrey police investigated these four deaths in 2002/2003. Subsequently, in October 2003, the Devon & Cornwall Police were commissioned to investigate the manner in which the Surrey Police conducted their investigation.

Cheryl James' parents, Des & Doreen James, are Mr. Öpik's constituents.

On Friday, in his summation at the end of the inquest into the death of James Collinson which returned an open verdict, the Surrey Coroner, Michael Burgess said:

"My personal view is that the MoD should take whatever steps are necessary to restore public confidence in the recruitment and training of young soldiers whether at Deepcut or elsewhere. I personally believe they have nothing to fear from an inquiry held in public where the various issues can be explored in greater depth."

The Welsh Liberal Democrats voted unanimously at their Spring Conference in Wrexham to support calls for a public inquiry in to the non-combat deaths of soldiers at the deepcut army barracks.

The emergency motion was proposed by Welsh Party leader Lembit Opik MP.

Mr Opik said: "The comments of the Surrey Coroner, supporting a public inquiry, have added more pressure to what was already a strong case. That's because:

he has no political bias

he is not connected to the parents

he came to his conclusions by looking at a single death.

"I'm not looking for a scapegoat. I'm looking for justice. And the answers the parents deserve, the public needs, and the government should wish for. If the army has noting to hide, then it has nothing to fear. We are not going to stop this campaign, until the inquiry takes place."