Tony Blair “lied” to ministers and shouted down critics of the Iraq War, Clare Short dramatically claimed at the Iraq war inquiry yesterday.
The ex-International Development Secretary told how a “deceitful” Mr Blair silenced Cabinet colleagues who questioned his plans for the 2003 invasion. She said she was jeered by Mr Blair and his pro-war “mates” when she raised objections.
In a ferocious attack on Blair’s government, Ms Short made a series of explosive remarks. She accused the former Prime Minister of misleading Parliament and claimed law chief Lord Goldsmith conned the Cabinet that the invasion was legal.
She revealed that Gordon Brown believed Mr Blair pushed ahead with war as he was “obsessed with his legacy”. At the end of her fiery three hours of testimony, Ms Short won rapturous applause from the public gallery.
Ms Short dramatically claimed the Cabinet had no say and Mr Blair used “little chats” to decide policies.
“It was not a decisionmaking body. I don’t think there was ever a substantive discussion in Cabinet.
“If you ever raised an issue with Tony Blair he would cut it off. The machinery of government had broken down quite badly. But when you add secrecy and deceit, it’s positively dangerous.”
She told the panel, chaired by Sir John Chilcot, how she had tried to question Lord Goldsmith in Cabinet about his 11th-hour ruling that the invasion was, after all, legal.
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