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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Decision on Iraq war minutes due | Decision on Iraq war minutes due |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Justice Secretary Jack Straw will make a statement later about whether minutes of key Cabinet meetings in the run-up to the Iraq war will be released. | Justice Secretary Jack Straw will make a statement later about whether minutes of key Cabinet meetings in the run-up to the Iraq war will be released. |
| The Information Tribunal ordered ministers to publish minutes of meetings on 13 and 17 March when the legality of the war was discussed. | The Information Tribunal ordered ministers to publish minutes of meetings on 13 and 17 March when the legality of the war was discussed. |
| The government has to decide whether to appeal to the High Court for the Tribunal's ruling to be reviewed. | The government has to decide whether to appeal to the High Court for the Tribunal's ruling to be reviewed. |
| Ministers failed to block a Freedom of Information bid to release the minutes. | Ministers failed to block a Freedom of Information bid to release the minutes. |
| 'Momentous decision' | |
| But BBC political editor Nick Robinson said even if the minutes were published, some might be disappointed as by tradition they only list points made, without saying who made them. | |
| Cabinet minutes are not normally released until at least 30 years after the event. | Cabinet minutes are not normally released until at least 30 years after the event. |
| But in a ruling in January the Tribunal stressed that disclosure of the Iraq material would not necessarily set a precedent. | But in a ruling in January the Tribunal stressed that disclosure of the Iraq material would not necessarily set a precedent. |
| In doing so, it upheld an earlier ruling by the Information Commissioner in favour of disclosure of the minutes. | |
| In reaching its decision, the Tribunal said UK involvement in the invasion of Iraq had been "momentous" and the seriousness of the decisions taken at the time had been "increased by the criticisms that have been made of the general decision-making processes in the cabinet at the time". | |
| The release of the cabinet minutes would reopen controversy over the then attorney general Lord Goldsmith's legal advice on the war. | |
| On the eve of war, 17 March, Lord Goldsmith's opinion unequivocally saying military action was legal was presented to cabinet, MPs and the military and published. | |
| However, after long-running reports that he had changed his mind as the planned invasion approached, his initial lengthy advice given to Tony Blair on 7 March was leaked and then published in 2005. | |
| This advice raised a number of questions and concerns about the possible legality of military action against Iraq without a second UN resolution and was never shown to the cabinet. | |
| The then prime minister Tony Blair defended his decision not to show the cabinet the full advice, saying that Lord Goldsmith had attended the cabinet in person and was able to answer any legal questions and explain his view. | |
| The Tribunal noted the criticism of the attorney general's legal advice and "of the particular way in which the March 17 opinion was made available to the cabinet only at the last moment and the March 7 opinion was not disclosed to it at all". | |
| 'Critical step' | |
| The Liberal Democrats have called for full disclosure of the minutes, saying their publication would be "critical" in showing how the decision to go to war was made. | |
| Despite concerns that releasing the documents before the normal 30-year time limit risks damaging the effective running of government, the Lib Dems believe such a move is justified given the level of public anger about the war. | |
| The Conservatives have expressed concerns about the release of details of sensitive decisions a few years after they were taken as they worry it will hinder the ability of ministers to speak frankly about controversial subjects in future | |
| Shadow foreign secretary William Hague has said a full-scale inquiry into the war would be more effective, since it would have the power to look at secret documents, informal notes taken and to interview the people involved. | |
| The government has agreed, in principle, to an inquiry but said it will not happen until all UK troops have returned home. |