£5billion wasted in Iraq black hole

10.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 3rd Feb 2007

Liberal Democrats at the London rally against war in Iraq

The Liberal Democrats have released research, based on parliamentary answers, showing the true cost to the Ministry of Defence of the Iraq occupation. The figures show that the amount - excluding the costs of reconstruction - is estimated to hit almost £5bn by the end of the current financial year.

Quite apart from the human cost, the continuing and open-ended occupation of Iraq is contributing to a large black hole in the Ministry of Defence's budget. Many British troops are currently struggling without proper equipment because of the pressure on resources. This money could be used to better equip British troops serving elsewhere, particularly in Afghanistan.