Former ministers slam Blair’s push for war

Prime Minister Tony Blair faced major embarrassment today as former leader of the House of Commons, Robin Cook, attacked the government’s credibility over the war on Iraq.

Speaking at the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into the government’s handling of the Iraq crisis, Mr Cook insisted that intelligence reports leading up to the war on Iraq had been “sexed up”, and that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein had been “exaggerated”.

Mr Cook described the government’s September dossier on Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction as “dodgy”, and suggested that both the UK and US intelligence inside Iraq before the war began, was insufficient. He alleged that intelligence material had been “selected” in order to justify the case for war.

He also reiterated his belief that he doubted Iraq possessed any WMDs.

Fellow ex-cabinet minister and former International Development secretary, Claire Short, also addressed at the inquiry in much the same vein.

She described the Prime Minister’s handling of Iraq as “an honourable deception,” and insisted that most of the Cabinet had been sidelined in decision-making over the war.

She also alleged that the UK and US had decided to go to war on Iraq as early as last summer.

Whilst these accusations have largely been repeated before – most completely in both ministers' resignation speeches – they appear less like ministerial sour grapes following the institution of an official inquiry by the Joint Services Committee into Iraq's WMDs.

The Committee hearings also come at a difficult time for the Prime Minister, who is under-fire for the manner in which last Thursday's Cabinet reshuffle was handled.

A Downing Street official later admitted there was a "haze" on the precise details, particularly over the fate of the Welsh and Scottish Offices. Confusion also obscures Lord Falconer's new role as minister for constitutional affairs who replaced Lord Irvine whilst robed in the silk of the Lord Chancellor and perched on the woolsack.

In an unprecedented move yesterday, the Speaker of the House Michael Martin – who as arbiter of the parliamentary debate is above party politics – called on Tony Blair to face the House and explain his reforms.

The debate takes place tomorrow.

(MM)