Gordon Brown at the Iraq Inquiry: evidence in full

By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent Published: 5:14PM GMT 05 March 2010

Link to this video

The Prime Minister was vocalization to Sir John Chilcots exploration in to the 2003 invasion, where he corroborated the elemental preference to go war, but referred to that others were to censure for problems that subsequently arose in Iraq.

Some of Mr Browns supporters hoped the exploration would concede the Prime Minister to pull a line underneath the quarrelsome domestic bequest of his predecessor, Tony Blair.

Army big guns dispute PMs counterclaim bill claims MoD not since sufficient cash, tip central says Gordon Brown: fight in Iraq was "right preference for right reasons" Bush "would not have invaded Iraq had he well known about WMD" British infantry denied equipment, says SAS head Brown at the Iraq Inquiry: as it happened

But whilst Mr Brown subtly distanced himself from Mr Blair on a little of the details, on the elemental preference to go to fight and defeated Saddam Hussein, he pronounced he was in full agreement with his predecessor.

"Nobody would instruct to have this preference solely in the gravest of resources where we were sure that we were you do the right thing," Mr Brown said. "I think it was the right preference and finished for the right reasons."

Mr Brown has frequency oral about his purpose in the events heading up to the war, that cost 179 British lives.

Some Labour supporters hold Mr Brown possibly harboured in isolation doubts about the war, or was close out of the decision-making routine by Mr Blair, afterwards the budding minister. But in his evidence, Mr Brown deserted both those ideas, insisted he had actively corroborated Mr Blair in his preference to invade.

Mr Brown was austere that he had been "in the loop" of Mr Blair"s decisions. He pronounced he had five in isolation briefings from the comprehension agencies, that convince him that Iraq was an "aggressor state."

He said: "I had full information. There is no clarity in that I had unsound information. I was entirely intent in the discussions that had taken place. I was concerned in the monetary discussions in propinquity to the troops options.

He added: "In conditions of my attribute with the Prime Minister, I was entirely in line with what was being done."

DEATHS:

In an opening matter to the hearing, Mr Brown pointedly voiced his dolour for the deaths caused by the advance and the aftermath.

The Prime Ministers countenance of bewail was in forked contrariety with the proceed taken by his predecessor. Mr Blair last month hurt a little troops family groups by refusing to contend he regretted the preference to invade.

Mr Brown said: "Any loss of hold up is something that creates us really unhappy indeed."

"Nobody wants to go to war, nobody wants to see trusting people die, nobody wants to see their forces put at risk of their lives."

In a final statement, he underlined that message.

"We have got to recognize that fight competence be necessary, but it is additionally comfortless in the outcome it has on people"s lives," he said.

"I instruct to finish up emphasising that the soldiers and civilians who gave their lives in Iraq, they merit both the magnetism and the debt of gratitude.

POSTWAR PLANNING

Mr Brown spoke of his "regret" that the preparations for traffic with postwar Iraq were not better, but finished transparent he blamed the US supervision for that.

"Its one of my regrets that I wasnt means to some-more successful on pulling the Americans serve on this issue," he said. "I cannot take personal shortcoming for all that went wrong."

In the run-up to the war, Mr Brown pronounced he rebuilt a paper for Americans on financing reformation work, observant that general institutions should be concerned at an early stage.

"We didnt see it was probable for Britain and America, but the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and the United Nations to get the financial for reconstruction," he said.

"I instruct it had been probable to follow that by most some-more fast in the days after the battle."

"We won the dispute roughly inside of 7 days but it has taken roughly 7 years to win the peace."

In a critique of members George W Bushs US administration, Mr Brown pronounced a little Americans had been naïve in their expectations for post-war Iraq.

He said: "I never subscribed to what you competence call the neoconservative tender that somehow, at the tub of a gun, overnight autocracy or democracy could be conjured up."

CABINET GOVERNMENT

Critics of the preference to go to fight have referred to that Mr Blair finished critical decisions but informing or consulting his Cabinet, instead consulting usually small groups of allies.

But Mr Brown insisted that he and alternative ministers were entirely intent in the decision-making process.

"The Cabinet was continually kept in touch," he said. "I cannot see an justification that says the Cabinet were not kept informed."

He said: "I talked to Mr Blair regularly. We talked about all sorts of issues. I would speak to him about Iraq and about the routine of tactful negotiations."

However, Mr Brown certified he had been unknowingly of a little poignant events prior to the war.

He pronounced he did not know that Lord Goldsmith, afterwards the Attorney General, had wavered on a preference to give authorised subsidy for the war. "I am not a lawyer," he said, but insisted that the eventuality would not have altered his view.

He additionally pronounced he had not seen a little papers relating to Iraq. But, he said: "I don"t think I indispensable to see each paper."

INTELLIGENCE

Mr Brown pronounced that he had been privately told by Britains comprehension chiefs that Saddam Husseins Iraq was a hazard since of the weapons programmes.

He pronounced he had asked for personal briefings prior to the war, and had five in isolation meetings with comprehension chiefs.

"I was since report by the comprehension services that led me to hold that Iraq was a hazard that had to be dealt with by the general community."

The successive disaster to find justification of weapons of mass drop in Iraq showed that ministers should not rely as well most on intelligence, Mr Brown said.

"I think we have schooled that comprehension can give us insights in to what is happening, but we have got to be some-more sure, as people have recognised, about the inlet of the comprehension we were reception from sure people."

CASE FOR WAR

Where Mr Blair formed his justification to wage fight on Saddams weapons programmes and the intensity hazard to British security, Mr Brown argued that the fight was fit by the need to defend general law.

"We cannot have an general village that functions if we have invader states that exclude to follow general law," he said.

Iraq had to face involvement since Saddam had unsuccessful to imitate with UN Security Council resolutions on his weapons programmes, Mr Brown said.

"We had a shortcoming to safeguard that general law was inspected in this case," he said.

"If the universe village is going to meant anything, afterwards we have to be rebuilt to take general action. It is far improved if countries are united."

Mr Brown additionally pronounced that until "the last minute" he hoped that dispute would be averted. "Right up to the last minute, right up to the last weekend, I think most of us were carefree that the tactful track would succeed."