Appeal expected for cabinet minutes ruling

Last Modified: 26 Feb 2008
By: Carl Dinnen

In a unique ruling the information commissioner has ordered the release of minutes from two cabinet meetings held in March 2003 in the run up to the Iraq war.

They are usually kept secret for thirty years but the government could be forced to reveal minutes from two of Tony Blair's most controversial cabinet meetings.

The information commissioner said that although cabinet discussions should normally remain secret, the decision to go to war had been so controversial that "the process by which the government reached its decision adds to the public interest in maximum transparency".

Adding that publication would help address "a widespread view that... the public were not given the full or genuine reasons for the decision on military action".

The Cabinet Office is tonight considering whether to appeal against the decision.