David Dimbleby: Did You Support the Iraq war?Rhodri Morgan: I Don't Know, I Have Not Looked at the Issues, I Am Not in the House of CommonsAudience Member: Do You Realise You're on TV?

Byline: By Tomos Livingstone Western Mail

First minister Rhodri Morgan last night refused to bow to pressure and reveal his stance on the Iraq War - saying that expressing his view would be 'gesture politics'.

Mr Morgan was heckled on BBC's Question Time show on Thursday evening for ducking a question on whether he backed the 2003 invasion. Despite repeated questions from the audience and host David Dimbleby, he said the issue was one for MPs to discuss rather than one for him.

He told the Western Mail yesterday he had spent many hours discussing the issue with Labour colleagues - including his wife Julie, the MP for Cardiff North who voted against the war - but it was 'not for us who are not there' to tell Parliament which way to vote.

In the programme, broadcast from Aberystwyth, Mr Morgan was questioned on his viewpoint by a member of the audience.

But the First Minister, who had already stood down as a Member of …

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Publication information: Article title: David Dimbleby: Did You Support the Iraq war?Rhodri Morgan: I Don't Know, I Have Not Looked at the Issues, I Am Not in the House of CommonsAudience Member: Do You Realise You're on TV?. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales). Publication date: February 4, 2006. Page number: 12. © 2009 MGN Ltd. COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group.

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