Nick Clegg, British deputy prime minister, explained his position on the Iraq war Wednesday, the Guardian reported. Clegg was forced to do so after he said that the war was illegal at the dispatch box of the House of Commons.

Clegg was standing in for David Cameron, British prime minister, and answering a question from Jack Straw, foreign secretary at the time of the war, when he made the questionable remark.

"We may have to wait for his memoirs, but perhaps one day he will account for his role in the most disastrous decision of all: the illegal invasion of Iraq," Clegg said.

Downing Street tried to diminish the significance of the statement by saying that Clegg was sharing a "long-held view" about the Iraq war. The No.10 spokesman said that the government would not agree on a view on the war before solidifying the Chilcot inquiry, an ongoing British public investigation into the country's role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The Chilcot inquiry issued a statement saying it was exploring the legality of the events that led to the war but not the legality of the war.

Another challenge arose when the British government had to explain how the second most senior member of the cabinet could stand at the dispatch box and express his own opinions that do not reflect government policy.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said that Clegg spoke as the leader of the Liberal Democrats instead of as deputy prime minister and that he is entitled to express his own views at the dispatch box.

Philippe Sands, professor of law at University College London, said, "Clegg is only repeating what Lord Goldsmith told Tony Blair on 30 January 2003: that without a further UN security resolution the war would be illegal and Jack Straw knows that."

Guardian via China.org.cn