In February, I commented favourably on Brian Sedgemore’s farewell speech to Parliament. Now Mr Sedgemore has defected to the Liberal Democrat Party, because of New Labour’s policy on Iraq. This should be a big blow to Blair’s New Labour. Sedgemore is what the press call a "veteran" MP (he has been in Parliament for 27 years) and, while he has always been independently minded, he represents a substantial body of opinion. He claims that there are many other Labour MPs who also feel strongly about the Iraq war.