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Chilcot report live: Blair claims report clears him of 'bad faith' but inquiry says he exaggerated case for war Chilcot report live: Blair says report clears him of 'bad faith' but Iraq inquiry says he exaggerated case for war
(35 minutes later)
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Here is the Lib Dem leader Tim Farron on the Chilcot report. Corbyn's statement on the Chilcot report
Blair was fixated in joining Bush in going to war in Iraq regardless of the evidence, the legality or the serious potential consequences. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, begins by paying tribute to those killed, and to their relatives. He met some relatives yesterday, he says.
Daesh has arisen from the complete absence of any post conflict planning by the government. He says the report should not have taken this long.
Charles Kennedy’s judgement has been vindicated in every respect. I hope those in the Labour and Conservative parties who were so forceful in their criticism of him and the Liberal Democrats at the time are equally forceful in their acknowledgements today that he was right. An absence of scrutiny by the Conservative party opened the door for Blair and the Labour government to pursue a counter-strategic, ill-resourced campaign. He says the “overwhelming weight of international legal opinion” says the invasion was illegal.
12.24pm BST It had devastating consequences, he says, fuelling terrorism and war across the region.
12:24 By any measure the invasion and occupation of Iraq “has been for many a catastrophe”.
Owen Bowcott He says it has led a break-down in trust in politics.
Some legal thoughts on the report from my colleague Owen Bowcott: While the governing class got it wrong, many people got it right. Some 1.5m people marched against the war, he says.
Reacting to the Chilcot report, Dr Mark Ellis, executive director of the London-based International Bar Association, said: “The UN Charter prohibits the use or threat of force in international relations, thus guaranteeing the territorial integrity of every country. The only exception to this mandate is through the authorization of the UN Security Council or through the inherent right of self-defence. He says those opposed to the war did not condone Saddam Hussein. Many of them had protested against him when America and the UK were still supporting him.
“The overwhelming evidence is that neither of these exceptions existed and, consequently, the invasion of Iraq violated international law. Yet, international law has not progressed to a stage where those who breached these legal principles will be brought to justice. He says we must be saddened by what has been revealed.
“To date, the International Criminal Court does not have jurisdiction over ‘acts of aggression’. The only body able to initiate sanctions against states that trigger these acts is the UN Security Council. However, both the United States and Great Britain, as permanent members of the Council, would never consent to such sanctions.” Many MPs voted to stop the war. But they have not lived to see themselves vindicated.
12.20pm BST He recalls Robin Cook. He said in his resignation speech, in a few hundred words, what Chilcot has shown would come to pass.
12:20 Robin Cook's resignation. Greatest parliamentary speech of my lifetime. Oh that they had listened. https://t.co/uqyud6OoCW … #Chilcot #Blair
Robert Booth
My colleague Robert Booth has been looking in detail at some of the correspondence between Tony Blair and George Bush before the Iraq war within the Chilcot report:
Tony Blair wrote to George Bush eight months before the Iraq invasion to offer his unqualified backing for war, claiming that the removal of Saddam Hussein would “free up the region” even if ordinary Iraqis may “feel ambivalent about being invaded” and could fight back.
In an six page memo marked secret and personal, the British prime minister told Bush: “I will be with you whatever” and set out a plan to persuade Britain Saddam must be toppled.
He warned Bush: “In Britain, right now I couldn’t be sure of support from parliament, party, public or even some of the cabinet”, and said that winning political support in Europe would be tougher still.
But he then set out a recipe for providing evidence against Iraq, according to the memo released as part of the Chilcot inquiry.
“If we recapitulate all the WMD evidence; add his attempt to secure nuclear capability; and, as seems possible, add on al-Qaida link, it will be hugely persuasive over here,” he said. “Plus, of course, the abhorrent nature of the regime”.
Blair devoted six lines to “post Saddam” planning. He said his toppling “should lead in time to a democratic Iraq governed by the people”, but concluded “just swapping one dictator for another seems inconsistent with our values”.
In the memo Blair was clear about the difficulties ahead. “The planning on this and the strategy are the toughest yet,” he said. “This is not Kosovo. This is not Afghanistan. It is not even the Gulf War.”
“The military part of this is hazardous,” he said. “Getting rid of Saddam is the right thing to do. He is a potential threat. He could be contained. But containment as we found with Al Qaida, is always risky. His departure would free up the region. And his regime is probably, with the possible exception of North Korea, the most brutal and inhumane in the world.”
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In PMQs Angus Robertson, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, asked David Cameron about Chilcot. Cameron said he would talking about this fully in his statement at 12.30, but he did say that he thought it was impossible to have absolute certainty about what might happen next before taking a decision like the one Tony Blair took to go to war. My colleague Damien Gayle is with protesters in London. Unsurprisingly, the Stop the War Coalition still believe Tony Blair should face prosecution in the wake of Chilcot.
David Cameron defends principle of military intervention: 'I don't think we should be naive that there is a perfect set of plans' #Chilcot Lindsey German of @STWuk: #Chilcot is not the end, it's the beginning pic.twitter.com/H34yK7P9wr
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Some more quotes from the families’ press conference, from Roger Bacon, via the Press Association: Jessica Elgot
Never again must so many mistakes be allowed to sacrifice British lives and lead to the destruction of a country for no positive end. We were proud when our husbands, sons and daughters signed up to serve our country. But we cannot be proud of the way our government has treated them. Earlier, during prime minister’s questions, Cameron said it was important to “learn the lessons of the report”.
We must use this report to make sure that all parts of the Iraq War fiasco are never repeated again. Neither in a theatre of war, nor in the theatre of Whitehall. The SNP’s Angus Robertson had asked about planning, citing not just Iraq, but Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and for the UK post-Brexit. “When will the UK government actually start learning from the mistakes of the past rather than condemned to repeat them in the future?” he asked.
We call on the British government immediately to follow up Sir John’s findings to ensure that the political process by which our country decides to go to war is never again twisted and confused with no liability for such actions. Cameron said it was not possible for planning to be fool-proof. “What John Chilcot says about the failure to plan is very, very clear,” Cameron said said, citing the new national security council set up by the coalition government after the 2010 election as an example of new methods of decision-making.
12.15pm BST “There is actually no set of arrangements and plans that can provide perfection in any of these cases,’ he went on.
12:15 “We can argue whether military intervention is ever justified and I think it is, but planning for the aftermath is always difficult. I don’t think in this House we should be naive in any way that there’s a perfect set of plans that can solve these problems in perpetuity – there aren’t.”
Salmond says Blair should face 'consequences' for Iraq 12.51pm BST
This is from Alex Salmond, the former Scottish first minister and the SNP’s foreign affairs spokesman, has issued a statement about the Chilcot report. Here is an extract. 12:51
The publication of the Report of the Iraq Inquiry by Sir John Chilcot today is welcome but long overdue. Cameron says Chilcot report should not rule out further military interventions
The report’s forensic examination of thousands of pages of evidence and its firm conclusions are excoriating of a prime minister who, contrary to his denials, gave a pre-determined commitment to President Bush on 28 July 2002 to join US military action in Iraq. We now know that long before Parliament formally voted on whether or not to go to war in Iraq, Tony Blair had told George Bush - “I will be with you whatever” ... Cameron says there are some lessons from Iraq that should not be drawn.
After such carnage, people will ask inevitable questions of was conflict inevitable and worthwhile? The answer from Chilcot is undoubtedly no. And who is responsible? The answer is undoubtedly Tony Blair. There must now be a consideration of what political or legal consequences are appropriate for those responsible. First, it would be wrong to conclude that Britain should not support America, he says.
12.14pm BST Second, we should not conclude that we cannot rely on the judgments of the intelligence agency. He says the report shows how assessing intelligence, and taking policy decisions based on that, must be kept separate.
12:14 Third, it would be wrong to conclude that the military cannot intervene successfully.
Nick Hopkins And, fourth, it would be wrong to conclude that intervention is always wrong.
Another story, about the ill-preparedness of UK forces for the Iraq war: 12.48pm BST
The UK’s military involvement in Iraq ended with the “humiliating” decision to strike deals with enemy militias because British forces were seriously ill-equipped and there was “wholly inadequate” planning and preparation for life after Saddam Hussein, the Chilcot report finds. 12:48
In a withering assessment that will confirm the worst fears of the families of personnel who died, the inquiry has found British forces lacked essential equipment such as armoured patrol vehicles and helicopters – and yet nobody at the Ministry of Defence appeared to be taking responsibility for the problems. Cameron on the lessons to be learnt from Iraq
The MoD planned the invasion in a rush and was slow to react to the security threats on the ground, particularly the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that killed so many troops, the report says. Cameron says MPs voted for military action.
But instead of quickly addressing serious equipment shortfalls such as the use of poorly protected Snatch Land Rovers when the conflict began, the MoD allowed delays to develop that “should not have been tolerated”. MPs who voted in favour will have to take “our share” of responsibility.
Read the full story here: He says, even when the government plans thoroughly, that does not guarantee success in a military intervention. He cites Libya as an example.
Related: MoD left UK forces in Iraq ill-equipped amid lack of plan, Chilcot report says He is now turning to lessons.
12.12pm BST First, war should be a last resort, he says.
12:12 Second, government machinery matters. That is why he set up the national security council, he says. He also says he has appointed a national security adviser.
This is from the Russian embassy in the UK. Cameron says the government would not commit troops now without a full and thorough debate in the national security council.
#Chilcot inquiry: No real WMD in Baghdad, unjust & highly dangerous war. The entire region on the receiving end. pic.twitter.com/UoL09xfqqQ Third, culture matters too, he says. It must be safe for officials to challenge ministers without being afraid. He says in the NSC everyone can speak their mind.
12.11pm BST Fourth, Cameron says the government can now deploy experts around the world at short notice.
12:11 Fifth, Cameron says it is important to ensure the armed forces are properly resourced. The government is doing this. He says the decision to sent troops to Iraq without proper equipment was “unacceptable”.
This is from the Stop the War Coalition. Updated
The Chilcot report is a damning indictment of Tony Blair and those around him in taking us to war in Iraq. It is clear that he used lies and deception to get his way, that the war was unnecessary and illegal and that everything was done to ensure it went ahead. at 12.52pm BST
The victims are the Iraqis, those soldiers who died and were injured, but also the whole political system traduced by this process. 12.43pm BST
The anti-war movement and the millions who marched were vindicated by this report and we now demand justice. 12:43
12.10pm BST Cameron says Chilcot says the UK did not provide the UK forces with appropriate equipment.
12:10 The MoD was slow to respond to the threat from IEDs (improvised explosive devices), he says.
Families of some of the service personnel killed in Iraq have been holding a highly emotional press conference, with much criticism of Tony Blair’s role. They have found the report to be more damning than they expected. Roger Bacon, whose 34-year-old son, Matthew, was killed in 2005, was asked if the report had been worth the wait: Cameron says Chilcot says the government could have re-assessed - but did not.
It still took too long. but from what we have seen today ... it is an extremely thorough piece of work and was, in that sense, worth the wait. And Chilcot says it was too focused on withdrawing from Iraq, Cameron says.
Rose Gentle whose son Gordon killed in war: 'He's done... a lot better than we thought. Everything's we thought he's just come out & said' Cameron says Chilcot says it is questionable whether not participating in invasion would have broken the US/UK partnership.
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Cameron says Chilcot does not accuse Blair of deliberate attempt to deceive people
Cameron says Chilcot does not express a view as to whether or not the war was legal.
But he says the circumstances in which its legality was evaluated were unsatisfactory.
He says Chilcot says diplomatic options had not been exhausted.
He says Chilcot criticises the decision-making process in Number 10.
And Chilcot says Blair sent notes to President Bush not agreed with colleagues.
But Chilcot did not find there was a deliberate attempt to deceive people, Cameron says.
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Cameron is now summarising some of the report’s findings.
He says Chilcot found there was a genuine belief in Washington and London that Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons, and was trying to get nuclear weapons.
But the idea that Saddam did not have these weapons was not seriously considered by the joint intelligence committee, he says.
He adds that Chilcot says Robin Cook showed that it was possible to come to a different conclusion from the intelligence.
He says Chilcot found that Blair did not improperly influence the September 2002 dossier about Iraq’s WMDs. But Chilcot says the limitations of the intelligence should have been made clearer.
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Heather Stewart
Another of our stories on the report, this one about criticisms of the foreign secretary in 2003, Jack Straw:
Jack Straw signed up to plans for an invasion in Iraq, despite fearing there could be ‘a long and unsuccessful war’, the Chilcot report finds.
The report states the then foreign secretary raised the question in response to a briefing in March 2003 of what would happen in the event of a protracted conflict, but ‘Mr Straw’s question was not put to officials and there is no indication that it was considered further’.
It also criticises Straw’s role in the deeply flawed process of preparing for post-crisis Iraq, with the UK failing to win over Washington to its preferred plan for the UN to take the lead. ‘It was Mr Straw’s responsibility as foreign secretary to give due consideration to the range of options available to the UK’ should it fail to convince the US that the UN should take charge, it says.
‘These included making UK participation in military action conditional on a satisfactory post-conflict plan … Mr Straw did not do so in January 2003,’ it says.
Read the full story:
Related: Jack Straw's role in preparing for post-crisis Iraq criticised by Chilcot
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Cameron's statement on the Chilcot report
David Cameron is making his statement about the Chilcot report now.
He says families of those killed waited too long for it. He pays tribute to their service. And he says we must never forget the thousands more injured in Iraq.
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Clare Short, international development secretary at the time of the Iraq war, has told the BBC she feels “terrible” about her role in what happened. These are from the BBC’s Chris Mason.
Fmr Lab Cab Min Clare Short has said she feels “terrible” over her role in run up to the Iraq War and her failure to prevent the conflict.
"I know I tried my damnedest,” Clare Short told @BBCNews. “But I failed and for that I feel terrible.”
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This is from CND’s general secretary, Kate Hudson:
The report shows that Tony Blair had no respect for cabinet procedure, no respect for parliament, and no respect for international law. A country was destroyed, millions of innocent Iraqis were killed, British soldiers were killed, and terrorism has spread across the Middle East.
Chilcot reveals the evidence that must now be used to bring Tony Blair to justice. This is our demand. Only when justice is served can we prevent disasters like the Iraq war ever happening again.
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