London, Dec 23, IRNA – Former prime minister Tony Blair and other members of his government were named Wednesday to give evidence in Britain’s inquiry into the Iraq war during January and in early February.
“These witnesses include some of the most senior decision makers in the run up to the invasion of Iraq and the following years up to and including the military withdrawal in July 2009,” the Iraq Inquiry announced.
But the list excluded hearing evidence from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander until after Britain’s forthcoming general election.
The inquiry is “determined to remain firmly outside party politics,” said the chair of the panel, Sir John Chilcot, announcing that public hearings will break in February until after the elections, even though Brown can delay the date until late May.
“The Inquiry should not be used as a political platform for political advantage,” Chilcot said. He believed that serving ministers can only give evidence fully without the hearings being used for political advantage.
Former ministers listed for January and February, includes two former foreign secretaries during the war, Jack Straw and Margaret Beckett, and four former defence secretaries, Geoff Hoon, John Reid, Des Browne and John Hutton.
Former international development secretary Clare Short, who resigned in protest following the 2003 invasion, is also named along with her successor Hilary Benn.
Other key witnesses include Blair’s director of communications and strategy Alistair Campbell, the prime minister’s special envoy to Iraq, Ann Clwyd and Blair’s chief of staff Jonathan Powell.
Particular interest will be in the evidence given by former attorney general Lord Goldsmith, who altered his advice on the war being legal just before the March 2003 invasion.
Also being called is Elizabeth Wilmshurst, who resigned from her role as Deputy Legal Adviser at the Foreign Office on the eve of the invasion and later revealed that she disagreed that the war was lawful,
The most notable absentee from being called to give evidence is former Home Office minister John Denham, who was the only member of Blair’s government to resign in protest ahead of the war apart from the late former foreign secretary Robin Cook.
The delayed inquiry, which started to hear public evidence in November, is not expected to publish its report until the end of next year at the earliest.