Goldsmith grilling over Iraq war advice
Updated on 27 January 2010
Former attorney general Lord Goldsmith will face tough questions later about how he came to advise Tony Blair that the Iraq war was legal.
He will be asked whether ministers put pressure on him to when he appears before Sir John Chilcot's panel.
As the top lawyer advising Tony Blair at the time, he was responsible for providing the legal advice that confirmed the former prime minister's decision to launch military action.
Witnesses have already told the inquiry that Lord Goldsmith expressed doubts about whether the war would be legal, without a second United Nations Security Council resolution.
A newly declassified document released on Tuesday showed he was initially "pessimistic" that there was sufficient legal basis for military action.
Yesterday, Elizabeth Wilmshurst, who resigned on principle on the eve of war, was applauded as she condemned the "lamentable" process around which legal advice was given.
Lord Goldsmith stepped down as attorney general when Mr Blair quit Downing Street in June 2007.
His evidence will set the scene for the much-anticipated appearance of the former prime minister before the inquiry on Friday. Public seats to watch Mr Blair give evidence have been decided in a ballot.
He will undergo six hours of questioning about his secret talks with US president George Bush, his involvement in drawing up the controversial dossiers on the threat posed by Iraq and his decision to commit British troops.
