No 10 ordered to release Cabinet minutes on Iraq



Details of a move by Gordon Brown to encourage colleagues to support the Iraq war could be revealed after the Government was ordered to release secret Cabinet papers.



Information watchdogs upheld an unprecedented ruling that minutes from two crunch Cabinet meetings in 2003 should be made public.



The judgment - the first ordering the release of private Cabinet documents - has infuriated ministers, who argue it threatens the proper functioning of government.



The Government is now expected to appeal to the High Court to try to overturn the decision of the Information Tribunal.



The Information Tribunal has ordered that cabinet minutes into the invasion of Iraq, which British soldiers took part in, must be made public. File photo

Ultimately, it could take the step of vetoing the release under a little-known clause of the Freedom of Information Act.



If released, the papers will shed new light on the then Chancellor Mr Brown's role in the build-up to military action.



It is thought he was originally sceptical about the war, but in his diary, the late Foreign Secretary and leader of the Commons Robin Cook claimed that Mr Brown delivered a 'long and passionate statement of support' of then Prime Minister Tony Blair's strategy at a Cabinet meeting in the days before the war.



The Information Tribunal yesterday upheld a decision by the Information Commissioner that details of the sessions on March 13 and 17 should be disclosed. The meetings considered the issue of whether the invasion was allowed under international law.



Criticism of former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith's legal advice to ministers on the case for military intervention supported the case for releasing details the tribunal said.



It added that the need to maintain Cabinet confidentiality was outweighed by the 'exceptional' public interest in the decision to go to war.



The tribunal also claimed ministers have undermined the case for keeping Cabinet minutes private by disclosing details of discussions in their own memoirs.



Four ministers who were in the Cabinet in 2003 - Mr Cook, Clare Short, David Blunkett and John Prescott - have gone into print.



The tribunal said this demonstrated 'a dwindling respect by ministers for the convention of Cabinet collective responsibility in general'.



The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats welcomed the ruling, but said a comprehensive public inquiry into the build-up to war in Iraq was long overdue.



Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said: 'Rather than have items of evidence dragged into the public domain piece by piece, the Government should set up a full-scale Privy Council inquiry into the origins and conduct of the Iraq war.



'The sooner we can learn the lessons of the war the sooner we can apply them. It is imperative to begin an inquiry before memories have faded, emails have been deleted and documents have disappeared.'



LibDem foreign affairs spokesman Ed Davey said: 'These were crucial Cabinet meetings, when issues central to the decision to go to war with Iraq were discussed.

The public clearly has the right to see the minutes.



'Their publication may help answer some critical questions, and certain people may find themselves in an even more difficult position.'



Miss Short, who resigned over Britain's involvement in Iraq, said she suspected people would be 'very disappointed' by how little the formal minutes say.



She said there was 'very little proper discussion' in the Cabinet, adding: 'Cabinet meetings were limited and the minutes are very generalised and limited.'



Information Commissioner Richard Thomas said: 'Disclosing the minutes will allow the public to more fully understand this particular decision.'



The Cabinet Office now has 28 days to decide whether to appeal to the High Court against the ruling. A No10 spokesman said: 'We are considering our response.'

