Gordon Brown is to appear before the Iraq Inquiry before the general election the Scotsman report's today. Senior sources at Number 10 are expecting an announcement to be made today at 10am.
Sir John Chilcot, head of the inquiry, had previously ruled the Prime Minister's evidence should be delayed until after the election in order to keep party politics out of the proceedings.
Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, who raised the issue at PMQs on Wednesday said: "The net is closing on in Gordon Brown. Despite all his efforts to force the Iraq Inquiry behind closed doors, the case for the man who bankrolled the illegal war in Iraq to give full evidence in public is overwhelming - and now even he has acknowledged that.
"Tony Blair led us into the worst foreign policy disaster in modern times and, as senior figures involved in the run-up to the conflict have already told the Chilcot inquiry, Gordon Brown was right beside him all the way."
Tony Blair is due to appear before the Inquiry a week today.
Update 3.05am The Times now has the story on their site and say an exact date for the PM's appearance is yet to be set. Sources said that members of the inquiry were absolutely furious that the information was released by No 10 before its planned announcement today. They complain that Downing Street is turning the invitation, which was ectended by the inquiry in a letter last night, into a political issue. What did they expect from Gordon Brown?
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8 comments:
It'll be a rerun of PMQs with Brown evading the questions and answering points that he hasn't been asked about.
What a shame that it's not a judicial enquiry where he'd have to take the oath.
Odds on a late GE then. To allow us to forget Chillot enquiry. And economy is improving slightly?
"A time will come when a politician who has willfully made war and promoted international dissension will be as sure of the dock and surer of the noose than a private homicide. It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men's lives should not stake their own."
H.G. Wells
Having listened to some remarkably wishy-washy questioning and then yesterday to hear one member of the enquiry ask Mr Straw a good question; answer it himself with a pathetic rationale, then ask Mr Straw if he agreed - which Mr Straw did - readily, there is no hope of 'getting at the truth'.
I suspect Mr Brown has no fear of this enquiry having confirmed it's buckets remain full of whitewash. H.G. Wells' quote will have to wait for another day.
Cato, dare I say that the taking of the oath wouldn't make the slightest difference to any one of them. They don't know the difference between truth and lies.
Aye I would think so Strathturret, so May it is and he'll be taken within the next 3 weeks I think to get it over and done with.
Quite strange isn't it, that Brown has continued to say the decision he attended after the election was Chilcot's and yet, as soon as he offers, Chilcot has a reply back to him in a day.
The standard of questioning was pathetic yesterday afternoon Clarinda. No wonder Straw sat there grinning as he was having all his questions answered for him.
Yes I fear that is so. An appropriate post perhaps for the mess they've made in Afghanistan where our troops haven't known their objectives for months now and are working to orders well out of date.
Didn't see Straw but in my opinion Campbell almost bullied the old buffers asking the questions.
Someone suggested we should have deputised Paxman to serve on Chillcot. Not a bad idea.
I saw the afternoon with Straw. His mocked the inquiry. His 'memorandum' was his bible and he stuck with it.
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