Reg Keys, whose son died in Iraq in 2003, warns that the vetting process will make the report a 'whitewash' unless it is overseen by a 'referee'

But not before its findings are vetted by national security officials

The long-awaited inquiry into the Iraq War is set to be vetted by British spies, it emerged today, sparking fears the published findings will be a 'whitewash'.

The Chilcot inquiry – launched seven years ago – is expected to finally disclose its findings in the summer – after June's EU referendum .

But there are now demands for it to be published next month after it was revealed that security officials will run their eyes over the report before it is released to the public.

Sir John Chilcot (pictured) is finally expected to publish the seven-year report in the summer but it has now emerged that security officials will now run their eyes over the findings before publication

According to reports in the Sunday Telegraph, a team of British security officials will launch a national security vetting process at the offices of the Chilcot inquiry next week.

Up to 150 former ministers, civil servants and military figures are expected to be criticised in the report but the news that the findings are set to be vetted has fuelled fears that some of the most embarrassing disclosures will be censored.

Reg Keys (pictured), whose 20-year-old son Lance Corporal Thomas Keys died in an ambush in Iraq in 2003, said an independent official must oversee the vetting process to ensure was not a 'whitewash'

The team of security officials met with John Penrose, the minister in charge of the Government's response to the Chilcot inquiry.

Mr Penrose said the vetting process will only take two weeks to complete.

Reg Keys, whose 20-year-old son Lance Corporal Thomas Keys died in an ambush in Iraq in 2003, said an independent official must oversee the vetting process to ensure was not a 'whitewash'.

He told the Telegraph: 'There needs to be a referee almost – if someone says 'I am taking this out it needs to be shown to an independent person' otherwise it will be a whitewash, it will be sanitised.'

But a source close to the inquiry told the newspaper: 'It is not deleting or redacting anything that is embarrassing it is just taking out or checking that anything genuinely secret is not left in.

'It is his [Sir John's] report - all we get to do is to check that he is not inadvertently and unintentionally revealing national secrets.'

Mr Penrose said: 'Nobody wants this to take any longer than it has already. The process of checking by security officials will take no more than two weeks to complete.

'Sir John can then complete the process of preparing his report for publication on the timetable set out in his letter to the Prime Minister last October. We look forward to seeing the final report then.'

Last summer Sir John Chilcot insisted he understood 'the anguish of the families of those who lost their lives in the conflict'.

In a statement he said: 'We take the responsibility we were given as an independent inquiry extremely seriously, and understand the need for Government, Parliament and the public to see our report as soon as possible.'