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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Blair denies 'bullying' Goldsmith | Blair denies 'bullying' Goldsmith |
| (41 minutes later) | |
| Tony Blair has denied reports his top legal adviser was gagged over doubts about the Iraq invasion's legality. | |
| Asked if a report in the Mail on Sunday claiming that Lord Goldsmith was "bullied" into keeping quiet was accurate, he told CNN: "No, it's not." | Asked if a report in the Mail on Sunday claiming that Lord Goldsmith was "bullied" into keeping quiet was accurate, he told CNN: "No, it's not." |
| The ex-prime minister said he would respond in full when he gives evidence to the Iraq inquiry in the new year. | The ex-prime minister said he would respond in full when he gives evidence to the Iraq inquiry in the new year. |
| His ex-adviser Sir David Manning has told the inquiry Mr Blair asked for military options in June 2002. | |
| The Mail on Sunday had reported that a letter written by Lord Goldsmith - then the government's top legal adviser - six days after a cabinet meeting on 23 July 2002 had been submitted to the inquiry. | The Mail on Sunday had reported that a letter written by Lord Goldsmith - then the government's top legal adviser - six days after a cabinet meeting on 23 July 2002 had been submitted to the inquiry. |
| 'Not accurate' | |
| The newspaper claimed Lord Goldsmith had advised that war could not be justified on the grounds of regime change, self defence nor humanitarian intervention and previous UN resolutions approving the use of force could not be relied upon. | The newspaper claimed Lord Goldsmith had advised that war could not be justified on the grounds of regime change, self defence nor humanitarian intervention and previous UN resolutions approving the use of force could not be relied upon. |
| The report accused Mr Blair of then deliberately keeping him out of cabinet meetings and of bullying the attorney general, who had threatened to resign, into backing down. | The report accused Mr Blair of then deliberately keeping him out of cabinet meetings and of bullying the attorney general, who had threatened to resign, into backing down. |
| It would be wrong to pretend to you that I sat in my seat for two years and thought about nothing but Iraq Sir David Manning | |
| Asked if that was an accurate picture, Mr Blair told CNN: "No, it's not". | Asked if that was an accurate picture, Mr Blair told CNN: "No, it's not". |
| But he added: "But I think the best thing with this inquiry is actually to let us all give our evidence to the inquiry." | But he added: "But I think the best thing with this inquiry is actually to let us all give our evidence to the inquiry." |
| On Monday Sir David began his evidence to the Iraq inquiry by outlining British foreign policy issues after the 9 September 2001 attacks on the US. He stressed to the inquiry that Iraq was not the only issue under discussion. | |
| In the first half of 2002, the prospect of a conflict between India and Pakistan, and tension between Israel and the Palestinians were at least as important, he said. | |
| "It would be wrong to pretend to you that I sat in my seat for two years and thought about nothing but Iraq," he said. | |
| But he said over that period US attitudes "evolved" and the UK had to take that into account. | |
| The first time he was aware that President Bush had mentioned Iraq to Mr Blair after the 9/11 attacks was on 14 September in a telephone call when he said there might be evidence of some connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. | |
| 'Small cell' | |
| The prime minister told him that the "evidence would have to be very compelling indeed" to justify action against Iraq. | |
| Over the course of the next year, which included meetings between the two leaders at the president's Crawford ranch and at Camp David, the British continued to press Mr Bush to go through the UN to tackle Saddam Hussein, the ex-foreign policy adviser said. | |
| At the Crawford meeting, Mr Blair was told by the president that at that stage there was "no war plan" for Iraq but that a "small cell" had been set up in US Central Command in Florida to do some planning and come up with options for removing Saddam Hussein. | |
| Sir David said the British were convinced Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and their policy was to disarm him, rather than sharing the US's primary goal of regime change. | |
| He said that Mr Blair had made clear that the UK could only take part in any action if the issue went to the United Nations first. | |
| But he said they were aware of a "real tussle in the heart of the [US] administration" about whether President Bush should go back to the UN. |