IRAQ: British Foreign Secretary Mr Jack Straw paid tribute to the dignity and strength of Mr Kenneth Bigley's family last night as the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, again said he would be prepared to talk to his kidnappers.
After heavily defeating a potentially embarrassing Labour Party conference motion demanding the early withdrawal of British troops from Iraq - and while anxiously awaiting the outcome of a close-fought Hartlepool by-election - Mr Blair admitted he was "absolutely sickened" by the hostage situation and confirmed he would talk to the kidnappers if they contacted him. Amid doubts as to what they would or could actually discuss if a line of communication was established however, Mr Blair repeated that he would not negotiate terms or give in to their demands. And while welcoming Mr Blair's comments, Mr Bigley's brother, Paul, told the BBC the Prime Minister had "political handcuffs" on.
In London meanwhile, Mr Straw assured Mr Bigley's son, Craig, and another brother, Philip, that the government was doing everything possible to secure Kenneth Bigley's release. The two men had travelled to London to meet and thank the members of the Muslim Council delegation who travelled to Baghdad last weekend and said they were encouraged by what they had been able to tell them.
When asked about his suggestion that he would talk to the kidnappers, Mr Blair told the BBC: "If you take a situation here in this country, if a hostage is taken and the police turn up, they will talk to the people who are holding the hostage." But he added: "They are not going to give in to the hostage-takers' demands, that's a different matter altogether, that would be completely wrong."
Mr Bigley's plight again overshadowed the final day of the Labour conference in Brighton where the backing of the big union delegations helped Mr Blair overwhelmingly defeat calls for a timetable for the early withdrawal of troops from Iraq at the end of an emotional debate.
Meanwhile, the Conservative leader, Mr Michael Howard, yesterday launched his most direct attack yet on Mr Blair, insisting the Prime Minister did lie to the country about the reasons for going to war in Iraq.