Clare Short, former international development secretary, claimed to speak for half of the parliamentary Labour party on Friday when she linked last week’s terrorist bombings in London with the war in Iraq.

In an interview to be broadcast on Sunday on GMTV’s Sunday Programme, Ms Short said she had “no doubt” the conflict was a factor in the attacks that killed at least 54. “Of course September 11 2001 happened before Iraq, we all know that,” she said. “But then Iraq happened  . . . and America claimed that al-Qaeda was there and we all know that was a lie, and we now know that our own prime minister deceived the country terribly.