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Iraq War: Chilcot inquiry report might not be published until 2016
Sir John Chilcot, the inquiry’s chairman warned the completion of the report would take “some further months” and that he could not give an “accurate estimate” of when it would be published
Chilcot Inquiry, clockwise from top left: British troops in Basra in 2007, Sir John Chilcot and Tony Blair with George Bush at Bush's ranch in Texas
By Christopher Hope, and Steven Swinford
9:00PM GMT 21 Jan 2015
The Iraq War inquiry report might be delayed until 2016, because of the length of time it is taking to deal with politicians who are facing criticism.
Sir John Chilcot, the inquiry’s chairman, warned in a letter to David Cameron, the Prime Minister, that the completion of the report - which started work in 2009 and finished taking evidence in 2011 - would take “some further months” and he could not give an “accurate estimate” of when it would be published.
Sir John said the report would not be ready in time for May’s general election because it would be “based on a thorough and comprehensive account of the relevant events from 2001 – 2009”, describing this as a “long period”.
Whitehall sources said that Sir John’s letter was a clear warning that the report was months from conclusion, and that it could even not be published until 2016.
There is understood to be some frustration that the inquiry’s critics have failed to recognise that the inquiry is covering an eight year period, not just the three months of the 2003 conflict.
The BBC's World At One reported on Wednesday that two witnesses to the inquiry were only sent papers relating to them in the final report earlier this week.
Any criticism of senior political figures would have to be copper-bottomed before the report could be published, a requirement which is adding to the delays.
Other reports into Iraq-related events have taken years to complete. The £24million Al Sweady report into alleged maltreatment of Iraqis by British troops in 2004 took five years to be published.
The delay will frustrate both Mr Cameron and Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, who have both said they want the report published before the election.
Mr Cameron told Capital Extra radio on Wednesday: "I am sure we will see it this year."
Sir John's letter disclosed that he now had clearance to publish 29 notes from Tony Blair, the former Labour Prime Minister, to US President George W Bush, rather than 25 as previously thought.
Sir John has now been called to explain the delays in front of a House of Commons committee, while MPs are set to debate the delays to the report in a House of Commons debate next week.
The issue dominated Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons. Sir Peter Tapsell, the most senior Conservative MP in the House of Commons, asked about “widely held suspicions that Mr Blair conspired with George W Bush several months before March 2003 and then systematically sought to falsify the evidence on which that action was taken”.
Diane Abbott, the Labour MP, said that “the delay in the publication of the Chilcot report is widely considered to be a scandal” asking Mr Cameron if he was worried that “powerful people that may be named in that report would be able to delay publication year after year”.
Mr Cameron said he had not heard of evidence that "that anyone is trying artificially to delay this report”. He added: “There is no mystery into why this is taking so long – it is a very thorough report and you have to give the people who are criticised in the report the opportunity to respond to all those criticisms.
“That is what happening at the moment. I don’t believe from what I understand that anyone is trying to dodge this report or put off this report. We all want to see it but you do have to go through the proper processes.”
Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader, asked if Mr Cameron was aware of “instances of illness among the members of the inquiry and in one case severely so”.
Mr Cameron replied: “He is absolutely right about some of the things that have happened to the panel inquiry members, most notably the brilliant biography of Churchill, Martin Gilbert.”
Mr Blair claimed that he had been instrumental in ensuring the inquiry was free to publish his notes to the US President George Bush in the run-up to the US-led invasion, he insisted.
He told Bloomberg Television: "Just to state absolutely and emphatically, this is not to do with me, or as far as I'm aware any other witness. I've as much interest as anybody in wanting to see the report published.
"The only issue was how much of those is it right publicly to publish. That has now been decided that they will be, partially at my own recommendation: if you're going to publish them, publish them. If you're going to do it, do it so that people can see it."
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Sir John Chilcot, the inquiry’s chairman warned the completion of the report would take “some further months” and that he could not give an “accurate estimate” of when it would be published
Chilcot Inquiry, clockwise from top left: British troops in Basra in 2007, Sir John Chilcot and Tony Blair with George Bush at Bush's ranch in Texas
By Christopher Hope, and Steven Swinford
9:00PM GMT 21 Jan 2015
The Iraq War inquiry report might be delayed until 2016, because of the length of time it is taking to deal with politicians who are facing criticism.
Sir John Chilcot, the inquiry’s chairman, warned in a letter to David Cameron, the Prime Minister, that the completion of the report - which started work in 2009 and finished taking evidence in 2011 - would take “some further months” and he could not give an “accurate estimate” of when it would be published.
Sir John said the report would not be ready in time for May’s general election because it would be “based on a thorough and comprehensive account of the relevant events from 2001 – 2009”, describing this as a “long period”.
Whitehall sources said that Sir John’s letter was a clear warning that the report was months from conclusion, and that it could even not be published until 2016.
There is understood to be some frustration that the inquiry’s critics have failed to recognise that the inquiry is covering an eight year period, not just the three months of the 2003 conflict.
The BBC's World At One reported on Wednesday that two witnesses to the inquiry were only sent papers relating to them in the final report earlier this week.
Any criticism of senior political figures would have to be copper-bottomed before the report could be published, a requirement which is adding to the delays.
Other reports into Iraq-related events have taken years to complete. The £24million Al Sweady report into alleged maltreatment of Iraqis by British troops in 2004 took five years to be published.
The delay will frustrate both Mr Cameron and Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, who have both said they want the report published before the election.
Mr Cameron told Capital Extra radio on Wednesday: "I am sure we will see it this year."
Sir John's letter disclosed that he now had clearance to publish 29 notes from Tony Blair, the former Labour Prime Minister, to US President George W Bush, rather than 25 as previously thought.
Sir John has now been called to explain the delays in front of a House of Commons committee, while MPs are set to debate the delays to the report in a House of Commons debate next week.
The issue dominated Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons. Sir Peter Tapsell, the most senior Conservative MP in the House of Commons, asked about “widely held suspicions that Mr Blair conspired with George W Bush several months before March 2003 and then systematically sought to falsify the evidence on which that action was taken”.
Diane Abbott, the Labour MP, said that “the delay in the publication of the Chilcot report is widely considered to be a scandal” asking Mr Cameron if he was worried that “powerful people that may be named in that report would be able to delay publication year after year”.
Mr Cameron said he had not heard of evidence that "that anyone is trying artificially to delay this report”. He added: “There is no mystery into why this is taking so long – it is a very thorough report and you have to give the people who are criticised in the report the opportunity to respond to all those criticisms.
“That is what happening at the moment. I don’t believe from what I understand that anyone is trying to dodge this report or put off this report. We all want to see it but you do have to go through the proper processes.”
Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader, asked if Mr Cameron was aware of “instances of illness among the members of the inquiry and in one case severely so”.
Mr Cameron replied: “He is absolutely right about some of the things that have happened to the panel inquiry members, most notably the brilliant biography of Churchill, Martin Gilbert.”
Mr Blair claimed that he had been instrumental in ensuring the inquiry was free to publish his notes to the US President George Bush in the run-up to the US-led invasion, he insisted.
He told Bloomberg Television: "Just to state absolutely and emphatically, this is not to do with me, or as far as I'm aware any other witness. I've as much interest as anybody in wanting to see the report published.
"The only issue was how much of those is it right publicly to publish. That has now been decided that they will be, partially at my own recommendation: if you're going to publish them, publish them. If you're going to do it, do it so that people can see it."
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
