British Prime Minister Tony Blair suffered the largest revolt from within his own party to date in a Commons vote on Iraq.
A total of 199 parliamentarians backed an amendment yesterday stating that the case for war is unproven. The government had proposed a motion asking parliament to back efforts to disarm Iraq
Embarrassingly for Blair, 122 of the dissenters came from the Labour Party - more than a quarter of the total in parliament - dwarfing any previous internal rebellion he has faced in nearly six years in power.Mr Blair's huge parliamentary majority and the support of most opposition Conservatives ensured he won the vote by 393 to 199.
But the scale of the revolt far exceeded expectations and will add to the impression of a leader standing out of touch, with opinion polls showing most Britons would not support a new Gulf war.
Britain and the United States have tabled a resolution saying Saddam has failed to take a final opportunity to disclose and get rid of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
They say it could be put to a vote in two weeks' time if Iraq does not comply fully with UN weapons inspectors by then, and have poured tens of thousands of troops into the Gulf in preparation for a possible attack on Iraq.
London and Washington are engaged on a frantic round of international diplomacy to secure support from other countries on the 15-member council.