Iraq Inquiry
On 15 June 2009, Gordon Brown announced the establishment of "an independent Privy Councillor committee of inquiry which will consider the period from summer 2001, before military operations began in March 2003, and our subsequent involvement in Iraq right up to the end of July this year."[1]
The Iraq Inquiry was officially launched on 30 July 2009.[2]
Contents
Secrecy
There was widespread criticism after Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in June 2009 that the Inquiry would be held in secret.[3] The chairman of the Inquiry, Sir John Chilcot subsequently wrote to the Prime Minister that: " I believe it will be essential to hold as much of the proceedings of the inquiry as possible in public, consistent with the need to protect national security and to ensure and enable complete candour in the oral and written evidence from witnesses."[4]
Under a protocol agreed between the Inquiry and the Government, the Inquiry cannot release any information from documents provided by the Government without the Government's permission.[5] Journalist Chris Ames has charged that the protocol gives the Government an effective veto over what witnesses can be asked at the inquiry.[6]
Advisors
The Inquiry appointed General Sir Roger Wheeler and Dame Rosalyn Higgins QC as advisors in October 2009.[7] Wheeler's appointment was questioned because of his role as a director of Aegis Defence Services, a company which had profited from the Iraq War.[8]
People
Members
- Sir John Chilcot - Chairman
- Sir Lawrence Freedman
- Sir Martin Gilbert
- Sir Roderic Lyne
- Baroness Usha Prashar[9]
Secretariat
- Margaret Aldred - Secretary[10]
- Rae Stewart - Communications[11]
Advisors
- General Sir Roger Wheeler - Military Advisor[12]
- Dame Rosalyn Higgins QC - International Law Advisor[13]
Witnesses
The following people either have or are due to give evidence to the inquiry. Some witnesses appear in the list below more than once in various capacities:
- Sir Peter Ricketts - Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee 2000-2001, Director General Political (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 2001-2003
- Sir William Patey - Head of Middle East Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1999-2002
- Simon Webb - Director General Operational Policy (Ministry of Defence) 1999-2001, Policy Director (Ministry of Defence) 2001- 2004
- Sir Michael Wood - Legal Adviser (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 1999-2006
- Sir William Ehrman - Director International Security (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 2000-2002, Director General, Defence and Intelligence (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 2002-2004
- Tim Dowse - Head of Counter Proliferation (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 2001-2003
- Sir Christopher Meyer - HM Ambassador to the United States of America 1997-2003
- Sir Jeremy Greenstock - Permanent Representative to the United Nations 1998-2003
- Sir David Manning - Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister 2001-2003
- Edward Chaplin - HM Ambassador to Jordan 2000-2002, Director, Middle East and North Africa (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 2002-2004
- Sir Kevin Tebbit - Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Defence) 1998-2005
- Admiral Lord Boyce - Chief of the Defence Staff 2001-2003
- Lt General Sir Anthony Pigott - Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) 2000-2003
- Major General David Wilson - Senior British Military Adviser to CENTCOM 2002-2003
- Major General Timothy Cross - Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance and Coalition Provisional Authority 2003
- Desmond Bowen - Director General Operational Policy (Ministry of Defence) 2001-2002, Deputy Head of Defence and Overseas Secretariat at the Cabinet Office 2002-2003
- Sir Suma Chakrabarti - Permanent Secretary (DFID) 2002-2007
- Dominick Chilcott - Head of Iraq Planning Unit (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) 2003
- Sir John Scarlett - Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee 2001-2004
- Sir John Sawers - Private Secretary to the Prime Minister with responsibility for Foreign Affairs 1999-2001[14]
- Frank Baker - Deputy Director Middle East, FCO, 2006 - 2009
- Desmond Bowen - Policy Director, MOD, 2004 - 2008
- Lt Gen Robin Brims - General Officer Commanding 1 (UK) Armoured Division, UK Land Component Commander Operation Telic, Nov 2002 – May 2003
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge - National Component Commander Operation Telic, Nov 2002 – May 2003
- Edward Chaplin - HM Ambassador to Baghdad, 2004 – 2005
- Lt Gen John Cooper - General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South-East, Dec 05 – Jul 06 and Senior British Military Representative in Iraq, March 2008 – March 2009
- Jon Day - Director General Operational Policy, MOD, 2007 – 2008, Policy Director, MOD, 2008 - 2009
- Martin Dinham - Director Europe, Middle-East and Americas, DfID, Jan 2005 – Spring 2007
- Jim Drummond - Director Iraq, DfID, Aug 2003 – Jan 2005
- Lt Gen Andrew Figgures - Senior British Military Representative in Iraq, Sept 2003 – Apr 2004
- Lt Gen Sir Robert Fry - Deputy Chief Defence Staff (Commitments), MOD, 2003-2006, and Senior Military Representative in Iraq, Mar - Sept 2006
- Sir Jeremy Greenstock - UK Special Envoy for Iraq, Sept 2003 – March 2004
- Nigel Haywood - Consul General Basra, 2008 - 2009
- General Sir Nick Houghton - Senior British Military Representative in Iraq, Oct 2005 – Mar 2006, Chief of Joint Operations, Mar 2006 – Mar 2009
- John Jenkins - Director Middle East and North Africa, FCO, 2006 - 2009
- Lt Gen Sir John Kiszely - Senior British Military Representative in Iraq, Oct 2004 – Apr 2005
- Lt Gen Sir Graeme Lamb - General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South-East, Jul 2003 – Dec 2003, and Senior British Military Adviser to Iraq, Sept 2006 – July 2007
- Mark Lowcock - Director General Programmes, DfID, 2008 - 2009
- Simon McDonald - Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser and Head of Foreign & Defence Policy Secretariat, 2006 - 2009
- Keith MacKiggan - Head of Provisional Reconstruction Team (DfID Secondee), Sep 2008 – Apr 2009
- Sir William Patey - HM Ambassador to Iraq, 2005 - 2006
- Stephen Pickford - Director International Directorate, HM Treasury, 2004 – 2005, Director International and Finance Directorate, HM Treasury, 2005 - 2006
- Christopher Prentice - HM Ambassador to Iraq, 2007 - 2009
- Lt Gen Jonathon Riley - General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South-East, Nov 2004 – Aug 2005
- Lt Gen William Rollo - General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South-East, Jul – Nov 04 and Senior British Military Representative in Iraq, July 2007 – March 2008
- Sir John Sawers - UK Special Envoy for Iraq, May – July 2003 and Political Director, FCO, 2003 - 2007
- Major Gen Jonathan Shaw - General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South East, Jan – Aug 2007
- Sir Nigel Sheinwald - Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser, 2003 - 2007
- Lt Gen Richard Shirreff - General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South East, July 2006 – Jan 2007
- Major General Andrew Stewart - General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South-East, Dec 2003 – July 2004
- Vice Adm Charles Style - Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments), 2006 - 2007
- Sir Hilary Synnott - Coalition Provisional Authority’s Regional Commander for Southern Iraq, Jul 2003 – Jan 2004
- Lt Gen Sir Frederick Viggers - Senior British Military Representative in Iraq, May - Sept 2003
- Lt Gen Sir Peter Wall - General Officer Commanding 1 (UK) Division, May – July 2003 and Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) 2007 - 2009
- Peter Watkins - Director General Operational Policy, MOD, 2008 –2009
- Major Gen Barney White-Spunner General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South East, Feb - Aug 2008[15]
- Rt Hon. Margaret Beckett - Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- Rt Hon Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for International Development
- Rt Hon. Tony Blair - Prime Minister
- Rt Hon. Des Browne - Secretary of State for Defence
- David Brummell - Legal Secretary to the Law Officers
- Alastair Campbell - Director of Communications and Strategy to the Prime Minister
- Sir Suma Chakrabarti - Permanent Secretary, DFID
- Rt Hon. Ann Clwyd - Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Iraq
- Lord Goldsmith - Attorney General
- Rt Hon. Geoffrey Hoon - Secretary of State for Defence
- Rt Hon. John Hutton - Secretary of State for Defence
- Lord Jay - Permanent Secretary, FCO
- Sir Bill Jeffrey - Permanent Secretary, MOD
- Sir Nicholas Macpherson - Permanent Secretary, HMT
- Sir David Omand - Permanent Secretary, Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator
- Jonathan Powell - Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister
- Rt Hon. Dr John Reid - Secretary of State for Defence
- Sir Peter Ricketts - Permanent Secretary, FCO
- Nemat Shafik - Permanent Secretary, DFID
- Rt Hon. Clare Short - Secretary of State for International Development
- Air Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup - Chief of the Defence Staff
- Rt Hon. Jack Straw - Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- Sir Kevin Tebbit - Permanent Secretary, MOD
- Lord Turnbull - Cabinet Secretary
- Lord Walker - Chief of the Defence Staff
- Elizabeth Wilmshurst - Deputy Legal Adviser, FCO
- Sir Michael Wood - Legal Adviser, FCO
- Maj Gen Graham Binns - General Officer Commanding Multi-National Division South East
- Mark Lyall-Grant - Director General Political, FCO
- General Sir John McColl - Senior British Military Representative in Iraq
- Gordon Brown - Prime Minister
- David Miliband - Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for International Development[16]
Contact
- Website http://www.iraqinquiry.org.uk/
External Resources
- Iraq Inquiry Digest - Voluntary project monitoring the inquiry edited by journalist Chris Ames
Notes
- ↑ Hansard, 15 June 2009.
- ↑ Statement by Sir John Chilcot, Chairman of the Iraq Inquiry, at a news conference on Thursday 30th July 2009, Iraq Inquiry, accessed 2 August 2009.
- ↑ Ian Dunt and Gabriel Huntley, Iraq inquiry to be held in secret, Politics.co.uk, accessed 3 August 2009
- ↑ Chairman urges public Iraq probe, BBC News, 22 June 2009.
- ↑ Protocol between the Iraq Inquiry and Her Majesty's Government regarding Documents and other Written and Electronic Information, Cabinet Office, 29 October 2009.
- ↑ Chris Ames, Chilcot inquiry keeps us in the dark, guardian.co.uk, 18 December 2009.
- ↑ Military and international law advisers appointed, Iraq Inquiry, 13 October 2009.
- ↑ Kevin Blowe, Iraq Inquiry Appoints Director of Private Defence Contractor As Advisor, Random Blowe, 15 October 2009.
- ↑ About the Inquiry, Iraq Inquiry, accessed 2 August 2009.
- ↑ Secretary to Sir John Chilcot’s Iraq Inquiry named Iraq Inquiry, 6 July 2009.
- ↑ Secretary to Sir John Chilcot’s Iraq Inquiry named, WhitehallPages.net, 7 July 2009.
- ↑ Military and international law advisers appointed, Iraq Inquiry, 13 October 2009.
- ↑ Military and international law advisers appointed, Iraq Inquiry, 13 October 2009.
- ↑ First witnesses named for public hearings, Iraq Inquiry, 16 November 2009.
- ↑ New witnesses named, Iraq Inquiry, 30 November 2009.
- ↑ New witnesses named, Iraq Inquiry, 23 December 2009.
