Iraq war's critics have made minds up, insists Campbell

Published on Friday 19 June 2009 21:51

ALASTAIR Campbell has waded in to the furore over the Iraq war inquiry by insisting it "frankly won't make any difference" to critics of the conflict if the probe is held behind closed doors.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has laid the ground for a climbdown over his decision after an array of senior figures denounced the move to hold hearings in private.

But Mr Campbell, who was director of communications at Downing Street when the conflict began, said critics had already made their minds up.

He said: "Those who are critical of the government's policy on Iraq will only accept the finding of any inquiry that says the government was wrong."

Mr Campbell added that Mr Brown had "probably made the right decision".

Of critics, he added: "It frankly won't make any difference to them whether it's public or private because they've decided, they have made their minds up, they're critical of the government whatever comes out.

"The question then becomes whether you genuinely want to have an inquiry which finds out exactly what happens and that tries to learn lessons."

Attacks on the decision to hold the hearings in private were led by former prime minister Sir John Major and the head of the last official inquiry on the war, Lord Butler of Brockwell, who said ministers were putting the government's political interest ahead of the national interest.

No 10 sought to defuse the row by suggesting the inquiry chairman, Sir John Chilcot, would have a degree of discretion in the way he conducted proceedings.

But with a Commons vote next week on a Tory motion calling for the evidence to be heard largely in public, shadow foreign secretary William Hague said a "proper U-turn" was needed.