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
The Iraq Inquiry has come under criticism for being held in secret. There was also anger over Brown's demand that it "try to avoid apportioning blame" for the Iraq War.[3]
Advisors
The Inquiry appointed General Sir Roger Wheeler and Dame Rosalyn Higgins QC as advisors in October 2009.[4] 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.[5]
People
Members
- Sir John Chilcot - Chairman
- Sir Lawrence Freedman
- Sir Martin Gilbert
- Sir Roderic Lyne
- Baroness Usha Prashar[6]
Secretariat
- Margaret Aldred - Secretary[7]
- Rae Stewart - Communications[8]
Advisors
- General Sir Roger Wheeler - Military Advisor[9]
- Dame Rosalyn Higgins QC - International Law Advisor[10]
Witnesses
- 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[11]
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
- ↑ 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.
