Chilcot inquiry: Tony Blair and Jack Straw to get warning letters ahead of publication of report into 2003 invasion of Iraq
Sunday 20 July 2014
Chilcot inquiry: Tony Blair and Jack Straw to get warning letters ahead of publication of report into 2003 invasion of Iraq
‘Sir John Chilcot, chair of the public inquiry into the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is poised to send formal letters to those whose conduct he criticises in his final report.
The then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, are among those expected to be sent what are known as “Salmon” or “Maxwellisation” letters in the coming weeks. Anyone criticised in public inquiries is entitled to see and challenge extracts related to them before publication. The letters are named after Lord Salmon, who held a public ethics inquiry in the 1970s, and the late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell, who challenged the way criticisms of his dealings were handled in a public report.’
