Downing Street Says » Iraq Inquiry

» Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Iraq Inquiry

Asked whether the Prime Minister would be open to Parliament deciding next week that it wanted to widen the Iraq Inquiry, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said we had decided on the terms of the Inquiry on the advice of the Cabinet Secretary. It was wrong to characterise it as a secret inquiry; the Prime Minister had asked the members of the inquiry to publish their final report in as much detail as possible, disclosing all but the most sensitive information essential to our national security. With regards to widening the remit, the PMS added that the inquiry had a far wider scope than any other previous inquiry into a conflict.

Put that Ed Balls had this morning said that some of the hearings should take place in public and asked whether this was Government policy, the PMS replied that he had not heard what was said and therefore would not comment on it. The Prime Minister had set out the Government’s position earlier this week; the objective of the inquiry was to get to the truth.

Asked who the Cabinet Office had consulted with regarding the style of the inquiry, the PMS replied that the Cabinet Office had consulted, and had the full support of, the relevant Departments, including the Ministry of Defence and including serving military officers.

Asked repeatedly about the nature of the inquiry, the PMS pointed out that it was wrong to characterise the inquiry as a secret inquiry. It was an inquiry that would, when the final report was published, publish as much detail as possible disclosing all but the most sensitive information essential to our national security. Our objective was to have an effective inquiry that got to the truth, so that the Government could learn the lessons. The Government’s view was that that could only be done by being in a position whereby people involved were able to speak frankly and candidly, as the Prime Minister said on Monday, and where there was full access and where people could be questioned on issues relating to sensitive national security material.

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Iraq Inquiry

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