Theatre of war

Ten questions that Sir John Chilcot and his colleagues should ask today when Gordon Brown appears before the Iraq war inquiry


Gordon Brown has long given the impression that he was lukewarm about a war that he did not instigate but in which, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, he was complicit. Today, facing five and a half hours of questioning before the Chilcot inquiry, he can no longer remain on the sidelines. While it would be wrong to expect too many new truths to emerge, the right questions should help to illuminate the way that Government made agonisingly difficult decisions both in the run-up to war and its aftermath.

Sir John Chilcot and his colleagues will want to press Mr Brown on the accusations that Tony Blair rode roughshod over his Cabinet in going to war. They will also want to examine the suggestions that he himself, as Chancellor, underfunded the front line. They will be grilling Mr Brown in three capacities: as a senior member of the Cabinet that went to war in 2002, as the Chancellor in charge of defence expenditure between 2002 and 2007, and as the Prime Minister who subsequently made the decision to draw down British troops. They might want to ask the following questions. First, as a senior member of the Cabinet:

1. Were you aware, in 2002, that Mr Blair wrote to President Bush promising Britain’s support if Iraq had to be disarmed militarily? Did you support that position?

2. Did you believe, in March 2003, that Iraq had committed a further breach of UN Resolution 1441? (Resolution 1441 stated that Saddam Hussein was in breach of his disarmament obligations, and offered Iraq a final chance to comply.) 3. How many times did the Cabinet debate the policy on Iraq before the invasion? What opinions did you express at those meetings? Did you believe that the Cabinet was operating properly in the months leading up to war, including the exclusion of Clare Short from discussions about reconstruction?

4. Did Mr Blair consult you privately on Iraq? What did he ask, and what opinions did you express? To what extent do you feel the Chancellor should play a role in foreign policy decisions involving blood and treasure?

5. What intelligence were you and other Cabinet members shown concerning Iraq’s military capability and weapons of mass destruction (WMD)?

Next, in his role as Chancellor:

6. What requests did you receive from the Ministry of Defence for additional funding for the invasion of Iraq? How did you respond?

7. What requests did you receive for additional funding for the reconstruction of the country after the invasion? How did you respond?

8. Why was the Snatch Land Rover not replaced in Iraq (and Afghanistan) once it was clear that it was so vulnerable to roadside bombs? Thirty- seven British Service personnel have died in Snatches, and their families have been denied an inquiry into why these poorly armoured vehicles continued to be used. Will you make a commitment to holding an inquiry?

Lastly, in his capacity as Prime Minister.

9. Do you believe that Britain left Iraq in the right circumstances? On what basis did you decide to draw down troops while Basra was still run by militias? Why did you choose the week of the Conservative Party conference to make the announcement that the first 1,000 troops would be home by Christmas?

10. How many deaths of serving British troops do you believe are attributable, at least in part, to lack of equipment or poorly functioning equipment?

Mr Brown has long been the silent partner in the Labour Government’s decision to go to war in Iraq. He has played the backroom bureaucrat in the Government’s prosecution of that conflict. Today he needs to make clear his belief — or otherwise — in that war, and his part in it.