Fresh row over Iraq advice
Emails sent by a key aide to Tony Blair regarding legal advice on invading Iraq are being kept secret, a newspaper has claimed.
The Sunday Times claims the former director of government communications, Baroness Morgan, sent the e-mails after meeting Attorney General Lord Goldsmith.
It is alleged the emails, addressed to unknown recipients, were sent just before Lord Goldsmith ruled that the war was legal in his independent opinion. Ten days earlier, his original advice had warned an invasion of Iraq could prompt legal action from the international community.
The paper reports that Downing Street has acknowledged that emails relating to the advice were sent during the period in question, but is refusing to disclose the contents.
The Sunday Times claims Number Ten has refused to release the e-mails on the grounds that they relate to the “formulation of government policy”, with the paper suggesting the decision could fuel fresh speculation about whether government aides had any influence on Lord Goldsmith’s revised stance.
Also arguing that the release of the emails is not in the public interest, Downing Street has turned down a request to disclose the information under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Sunday Times says it will now appeal against the refusal to the Information Commissioner.
The Attorney General’s final advice on the Iraq war was published in full following a press leak in the run up to the general election.
