A motion in the House of Commons by the Conservatives last week tried to change the terms of the inquiry announced by the Prime Minister.

It was defeated by just 39 votes, with Mr Wood and a number of other Labour MPs voting against the government.

L/Cpl Shaun Brierley, of Healey, and Sgt Chris Hickey, of East Bierley, were both killed in Iraq .

The Batley and Spen MP has backed their families' campaigns for answers about why the Iraq war took place.

Mr Wood was one of the few MPs in the House of Commons who voted against the war in Iraq.

And while he has maintained his opposition to it, he has worked closely with the families of servicemen and women and Armed Forces organisations to improve the conditions for soldiers serving in Iraq.

Mr Wood said: "We went to war, we were told, to deal with weapons of mass destruction. Six years later we have found none, yet decisions that were made led to the loss of thousands of civilian lives, the loss of hundreds of servicemen, including two from Batley and Spen, and billions of pounds have been spent.

"There has also been the backlash of terrorism both within Iraq and throughout the world, including right here in Britain.

"We have to know how and why the decisions were made to take us down this tragic road. We have to know why we went to war, when the decisions were made and who was involved in that process – and we need to know as soon as possible. We also need to know who, if anyone, should face charges of war crimes."

Mr Wood vowed to continue to support calls for an inquiry that will satisfy public anger at the way we were taken to war.

- Mr Wood will be a member of a Parliamentary panel holding a three-week inquiry into the effectiveness of international aid. The inquiry will be held in the House of Commons and will hear evidence from ministers, charity workers, academics and international organisations.

Mr Wood was invited to join the panel after chairing a session during the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's conference on international aid last November.