No 10 denies Blair inquiry prompt

--BBC--

Both Mr Blair and Mr Brown deny they agreed to hold the inquiry in private. Downing Street has dismissed claims that a decision to hold an inquiry into the Iraq war in private was prompted by pressure from former PM Tony Blair. The Observer newspaper says Mr Blair urged Gordon Brown not to hold a public inquiry because he feared being subjected to a "show trial". Mr Blair's spokesman denied the claim, and Downing Street said it was "just plain wrong". The inquiry will start next month and aims to indentify "lessons learned." When he announced it on Monday the prime minister said the inquiry, chaired by civil servant Sir John Chilcot, would hear evidence in private so witnesses could be "as candid as possible". If this is true... it is simply outrageous that an inquiry into the biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez is being muzzled to suit the individual needs of the man who took us to war - Tony Blair. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg But following widespread criticism Mr Brown later appeared to backtrack, saying it would be up to Sir John to decide which session of the inquiry could be held in public. Before the inquiry was announced, according to the Observer, Mr Blair - who took Britain into the war in 2001 - is said to have put pressure on the prime minister via the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell. The paper alleges Mr Blair did not want to give evidence in public, and under oath, about the use of intelligence and secret discussions held with ex-US president George W Bush during the run-up to the conflict. Responding to the claims, a spokesman for Mr Blair said: "This is a decision for the current prime minister, not the former one." A Downing Street spokesman said: "We have always been clear that we consulted a number of people before announcing the commencement of the inquiry, including former government figures. "We are not going to get into the nature of those discussions." But the spokesman added: ""The prime minister takes full responsibility for the statement he made on Monday. "He has asked Sir John Chilcot to come forward with recommendations on how the inquiry should best be conducted, so the suggestion that some in-principle decision has already been taken is just plain wrong." Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: "If this is true about Blair demanding secrecy, it is simply outrageous that an inquiry into the biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez is being muzzled to suit the individual needs of the man who took us to war - Tony Blair." On Wednesday the prime minister is due to face a Commons vote on a Conservative motion that evidence given to the Iraq inquiry should be heard in public "whenever possible".