The current situation in Iraq presents great difficulties for many Labour MPs like myself who voted in support of its liberation.

It is particularly difficult for those of us who voted for the military action not primarily because of  arguments about weapons of mass destruction but because of our longstanding support for the oppressed Iraqi people.

For myself the decision to go into Iraq was a choice between the failed policy of containment which had led to the deaths of half a million Iraqi children, malnutrition for millions; gold bath taps and luxury palaces for Saddam and big bribes for his friends, apologists and front organisations through misuse of the UN Oil for Food programme; or a historic opportunity to liberate the Iraqi people from Baathist fascist tyranny.

I am therefore particularly sickened by the behaviour of elements of US forces in Iraq and by the heavy handed and insensitive tactics being pursued by the "neocon" zealots in the Pentagon.

The appalling pictures of  US soldiers and contractors torturing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners have sickened the whole world, inflamed Arab opinion and fuelled anti war sentiment.

There is no doubt that some elements in the US forces have been pursuing a systematic policy of humiliation and torture of prisoners and detainees. Others appear to have been out of control.

America’s NATO allies must publicly and forcefully make clear the need for an urgent change of policy in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. Signing up to the international criminal court would be a very welcome step to putting matters right and rebuilding the image of the USA.

In the 1920’s the Daily Mail earned the soubriquet "the forgers gazette" for the notorious Zinoviev letter. The Daily Mirror has become the "fabricators gazette" of the new century. But unfortunately its fake photographs have succeeded in their aim of seriously damaging the Labour government and in the process traduced the reputation of our armed forces. The resignation of Piers Morgan is insufficient and the Mirror will have to work very hard indeed to recover from this episode.

This is not the time to turn our backs on Iraq. On the contrary we have to work even harder to help the reconstruction of the country and its transformation into a self governing representative and democratic state. We must see through what we started last year.

The US currently plans to keep over 100,000 troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future. It is vital that the process of Iraqiisation of internal police and security functions is accelerated and that the UN assumes a much greater role than at present.

Britain should remain in Iraq as part of that UN role.  We cannot afford to be seen as just a fig leaf for US policy.  Our numbers are small but our political influence could be very important in the process leading to the elections planned for the end of January next year.

Despite the present difficulties I remain convinced that the liberation of Iraq in 2003  can be seen in future decades as making a major contribution to democracy and freedom for Muslims and Arabs throughout the world.

Mike Gapes is Labour and Co-operative MP for Ilford South, and a member of the Commons defence committee.