Delay to Chilcot report 'unreasonable'

Categories: Latest News
Thursday May 08 2014
Newspapers this week (Independent, Daily Telegraph and Guardian) have revisited the subject of the ongoing delay to the publication of the Chilcot Inquiry report into the lead up to the Iraq War with the Mail on Sunday squarely placing blame for the deferral to possibly after the next general election on Tony Blair.
Reporting the comments of an aide to the PM, David Cameron, the paper claims Cameron has backed calls for the report to be published without delay and that deferring until mid-2015 would be ‘unreasonable’. Deputy PM, Nick Clegg, has already thrown his weight behind support to expedite publication saying those who have been singled out for criticism in the report should come to terms with it.
The Mail on Sunday notes the observation of a former Labour ally who said the hold up is down to Blair’s concern for the impact of anticipated criticism in the report. The ally told the paper: “Since leaving Downing Street, Tony has managed to remain a big player on the world stage and use it to earn money, justifying it by doing good work at the same time.
“It has served him well, but it is all starting to collapse. If Chilcot points the finger of blame squarely at him, which Blair himself knows full well it will, the whole edifice could crumble. That is why it is in his interest that Chilcot should be delayed for as long as possible.”
The Chilcot Inquiry was established in July 2009 and its concluding report has been hit with a series of snags, first with the withholding of key documents and now with the foot dragging of individuals who are widely expected to be singled out for censure.