Iraq inquiry resumes evidence sessions
By politics.co.uk staff
The Iraq inquiry has resumed its evidence sessions after breaking for the general election.
Sir John Chilcot’s panel began hearing from Douglas Brand, chief policy adviser to the Iraqi ministry of interior in 2003 and 2004, and Sir John Holmes, Britain’s ambassador to France from 2001 to 2007.
The inquiry chairman confirmed in his opening statement he hoped to publish his final report by the end of the year.
“These hearings which begin today will cover a range of issues. In some cases, they will be complementing evidence we have already heard. In others, we will be pursuing issues which have only been touched on in earlier evidence,” Sir John explained.
He concluded: “We intend to deliver a reliable and authoritative report about the UK’s decision to take military action in Iraq and the events that followed; and to identify lessons for the future.”
Today is the first time the committee has sat since March 8th, when David Miliband gave evidence relating to his time as foreign secretary from 2007 to 2009.
The sessions were suspended because Sir John said he did not want his evidence to be overly politicised.
That did not stop Gordon Brown deciding to appear before the inquiry before the election, against Sir John’s initial plans.
Next week’s schedule includes former defence secretary Bob Ainsworth, who will answer questions from the panel relating to his time as armed forces minister from 2007 to 2009.
Other senior figures set to give evidence include former deputy prime minister John Prescott; Sir Richard Dalton, ambassador to Iran from 2003 to 2006; Trevor Woolley, the financial director at the Ministry of Defence from 2003 until 2009; and Lord Jay, permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office from 2002 to 2006.
