MPs crowded into the House of Commons chamber for 10 hours of passionate debate over the impending military action against Iraq.

The Commons was meeting at "a solemn moment in the life of our nation", Iain Duncan Smith told the House.

The Conservative leader, who had earlier accepted the resignations of three of his front-bench team, said his party was backing the government because Saddam Hussein was a tyrant who tortured and murdered his own people.

Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal Democrats, denied that there was a contradiction in being against the war, but giving moral support to British forces once it had begun.

William Hague has been singled out in today's papers for his speech supporting the government line. The former Tory leader drew a smile from Tony Blair for his attack on Clare Short.

"It was whispered in the corridors last week when she said the prime minister was reckless that he would take his revenge in due course. I believe that by persuading her to stay in the Cabinet, even for this last 24 hours, he has now taken his revenge," he said.

John Denham, who resigned as a Home Office minister yesterday, also drew plaudits from commentators for articulating the case against war.

Conservative Andrew Lansley, writing in the Independent, says "the justification for this war is built on sand".