No Blair 'blood undertaking' to fight in Iraq
Updated on 18 January 2010
Former Downing Street chief of staff Jonathan Powell tells the Chilcot inquiry that Tony Blair gave George Bush no undertaking in blood to go to war.
The Iraq inquiry has heard another robust defence of Tony Blair's actions in the run-up to the Iraq war.
His former chief of staff told the inquiry that Mr Blair did not give George Bush an undertaking in blood to go to war.
Jonathan Powell repeatedly argued that there was a distinction between supporting the American aim of getting rid of Saddam Hussein and actually committing Britain to war.
Like Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former press aide at No.10 who gave evidence last week, Powell rubbished the evidence of Sir Christopher Meyer, the former British ambassador to Washington.
Meyer told the inquiry before Christmas that visiting George W Bush at his Texas ranch in 2002, Tony Blair had effectively signed in blood an agreement to right alongside the Americans.
For more Channel 4 News coverage of Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war
- Iraq inquiry: day by day
- Iraq inquiry: Alastair Campbell quizzed
- Iraq inquiry: seats ballot for Blair
- Iraq inquiry: Chilcot defends questioning
- Iraq inquiry: war a ‘catastrophic success’
As war approached, the military made clear that it needed the then attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, to write unequivocally that invading Iraq was legal.
It required something stronger than the legal opinion he had already written, which raised questions about whether one UN resolution was enough.
There was a series of meetings with the attorney general and senior figures in the military and No.10.
Friday 29 January has now been nominated as the day for Tony Blair’s public evidence session at the Chilcot inquiry. Letters are on their way out to members of the public who have won in the ballot for seats.
Tomorrow former defence secretary Geoff Hoon is giving evidence, and later this week sees the appearance of former foreign secretary Jack Straw.
