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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| Iraq Inquiry publication date criticised | Iraq Inquiry publication date criticised |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The author of the inquiry into the Iraq War is facing criticism after announcing his report would not be published until June or July 2016. | The author of the inquiry into the Iraq War is facing criticism after announcing his report would not be published until June or July 2016. |
| Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "immensely frustrated" at how long Sir John Chilcot's inquiry, which began in 2009, was taking. | Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "immensely frustrated" at how long Sir John Chilcot's inquiry, which began in 2009, was taking. |
| The mother of a British soldier killed in Iraq said it was "another let-down". | The mother of a British soldier killed in Iraq said it was "another let-down". |
| Sir John said the two million word report would be finished in April and then given national security checks. | Sir John said the two million word report would be finished in April and then given national security checks. |
| Mr Cameron offered resources to speed up the process, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the time taken was "getting beyond ridiculous". | Mr Cameron offered resources to speed up the process, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the time taken was "getting beyond ridiculous". |
| The inquiry is considering how UK forces came to participate in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its aftermath. | The inquiry is considering how UK forces came to participate in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its aftermath. |
| Chilcot sets out timetable | Chilcot sets out timetable |
| The new publication timetable was set out in a letter to Mr Cameron on the inquiry's website. | The new publication timetable was set out in a letter to Mr Cameron on the inquiry's website. |
| Sir John had previously rejected calls to publish a timetable for publication, saying he did not want to "arouse false hopes". | Sir John had previously rejected calls to publish a timetable for publication, saying he did not want to "arouse false hopes". |
| But in his letter, Sir John says the text of his report should be completed in the week starting 18 April 2016, at which point the process of national security checking would begin. | But in his letter, Sir John says the text of his report should be completed in the week starting 18 April 2016, at which point the process of national security checking would begin. |
| Such checking is "normal and necessary" with inquiries handling large amounts of sensitive material, he said. | Such checking is "normal and necessary" with inquiries handling large amounts of sensitive material, he said. |
| It will ensure that national security and Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to life, are not "inadvertently breached" by publication, he said. | It will ensure that national security and Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to life, are not "inadvertently breached" by publication, he said. |
| "I consider that once national security checking has been completed it should be possible to agree a date for publication in June or July 2016," he added. | "I consider that once national security checking has been completed it should be possible to agree a date for publication in June or July 2016," he added. |
| Sir John ended his letter to the prime saying: "My colleagues and I remain committed to producing a report that will meet the very wide ranging terms of reference we were given and reflect the considerable investment of time and effort by all involved." | Sir John ended his letter to the prime saying: "My colleagues and I remain committed to producing a report that will meet the very wide ranging terms of reference we were given and reflect the considerable investment of time and effort by all involved." |
| The letters | The letters |
| PM 'disappointed' and other politicians unhappy | PM 'disappointed' and other politicians unhappy |
| In his letter back to Sir John, Mr Cameron welcomed the fact there was "a clear end in sight" but added: "I am disappointed - and I know the families of those who served in Iraq will also be disappointed - that you do not believe it will be possible logistically to publish your report until early summer." | In his letter back to Sir John, Mr Cameron welcomed the fact there was "a clear end in sight" but added: "I am disappointed - and I know the families of those who served in Iraq will also be disappointed - that you do not believe it will be possible logistically to publish your report until early summer." |
| He said he would welcome measures to "expedite" the final stages, saying the government would be "very happy" to provide more resources if it meant the inquiry was published sooner. | He said he would welcome measures to "expedite" the final stages, saying the government would be "very happy" to provide more resources if it meant the inquiry was published sooner. |
| The prime minister said the government intended for the national security checking to last no longer than two weeks. | The prime minister said the government intended for the national security checking to last no longer than two weeks. |
| Speaking later at a summit in Iceland, the PM said he was "immensely frustrated by the slowness and the amount of time that it has taken". | Speaking later at a summit in Iceland, the PM said he was "immensely frustrated by the slowness and the amount of time that it has taken". |
| He added: "And I'm not frustrated on my own behalf, I'm frustrated for the mums and the dads who lost loved ones and who want to know what happened and why it happened and want to make sure that the lessons are learnt." | He added: "And I'm not frustrated on my own behalf, I'm frustrated for the mums and the dads who lost loved ones and who want to know what happened and why it happened and want to make sure that the lessons are learnt." |
| Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "We need to know what happened, we need to know why it happened, we need to know who made the decisions and we never need to make these kind of catastrophic mistakes again." | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "We need to know what happened, we need to know why it happened, we need to know who made the decisions and we never need to make these kind of catastrophic mistakes again." |
| Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, Speaker John Bercow said there was "a very real sense of anger and frustration across the whole House at what seems a substantial disservice that has been done". | Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, Speaker John Bercow said there was "a very real sense of anger and frustration across the whole House at what seems a substantial disservice that has been done". |
| I'm not responsible for delays - Blair | I'm not responsible for delays - Blair |
| A statement from former Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said he looked forward to responding to the report. | A statement from former Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said he looked forward to responding to the report. |
| He has repeatedly stressed he was not the reason for the drawn-out timescale, a point he repeated in his statement. | He has repeatedly stressed he was not the reason for the drawn-out timescale, a point he repeated in his statement. |
| Any delays were "not the result either of issues over the correspondence between him as prime minister and President Bush; or due to the Maxwellisation process," his office said. | Any delays were "not the result either of issues over the correspondence between him as prime minister and President Bush; or due to the Maxwellisation process," his office said. |
| Mr Blair and other witnesses had been given information under Maxwellisation "very late in the process", the statement said, adding that suggestions he had been the cause of delays in publication were "categorically incorrect". | Mr Blair and other witnesses had been given information under Maxwellisation "very late in the process", the statement said, adding that suggestions he had been the cause of delays in publication were "categorically incorrect". |
| Families' anger | Families' anger |
| Reg Keys, whose son, Lance Corporal Tom Keys, was killed in Iraq in June 2003, was critical of the "ridiculous" Maxwellisation process, saying it had been allowed to "run on far too long". | Reg Keys, whose son, Lance Corporal Tom Keys, was killed in Iraq in June 2003, was critical of the "ridiculous" Maxwellisation process, saying it had been allowed to "run on far too long". |
| He predicted the report, when it was eventually published, would be a "watered-down" version of criticism raised during the inquiry. | He predicted the report, when it was eventually published, would be a "watered-down" version of criticism raised during the inquiry. |
| The mother of Royal Highland Fusilier Gordon Gentle, who was killed aged 19 in a bomb attack in Basra in 2004, said she was "disappointed" by the latest news from the inquiry. | The mother of Royal Highland Fusilier Gordon Gentle, who was killed aged 19 in a bomb attack in Basra in 2004, said she was "disappointed" by the latest news from the inquiry. |
| Rose Gentle, from Glasgow, said: "We thought it should be out a lot sooner than this. I thought it would be out by the end of the year, because they have everything there. | Rose Gentle, from Glasgow, said: "We thought it should be out a lot sooner than this. I thought it would be out by the end of the year, because they have everything there. |
| "It's another let-down. It's another few months to wait and suffer again." | "It's another let-down. It's another few months to wait and suffer again." |
| Background to today's development | Background to today's development |
| Timeline: The Iraq War inquiry | Timeline: The Iraq War inquiry |
| What is the Iraq Inquiry for? | |
| by James Landale, BBC deputy political editor | |
| Usually, politicians like independent inquiries - they use them to outsource and delay difficult decisions. | |
| The risk, of course, is that they lose control. And Sir John Chilcot has used every bit of his independence to defy the body politic and take his time over a report that many wanted published earlier. | |
| Commons Speaker John Bercow spoke for many at Westminster earlier, when he told MPs: "Sir John should be aware that there is a very real sense of anger and frustration across the whole House at what seems a substantial disservice that has been done." | |
| But that raises questions about what this inquiry is for. | |
| If it's to provide closure for the families of the fallen, then it has so far failed in that task. | |
| If it is to learn lessons, well, they are likely to be learned too late to inform any decision about military action in, say, Syria. | |
| But if the inquiry is designed to find out what happened and hold people to account, then there is an argument for taking the time to get it right. | |
| Read James Landale's blog in full |