Minister says sorry for Iraq intelligence

Published on Friday 8 October 2004 11:48

A CABINET minister has apologised for the first time for the flawed intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq.

Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said she was speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Tony Blair and the whole Cabinet.

Ms Hewitt is the first senior member of the Government to make a direct apology in relation to the war. The apology led to calls today for Mr Blair to now say sorry.

The Prime Minister has said he could apologise about the information gathered on Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction, but has stopped short of actually doing so.

On BBC1’s Question Time last night, Ms Hewitt was challenged by members of the audience when she said Mr Blair had actually apologised for the inaccuracy of the intelligence.

She then said: "I certainly want to say that all of us, from the Prime Minister down, all of us who were involved in making an incredibly difficult decision, are very sorry and do apologise for the fact that information was wrong, but I don’t think we were wrong to go in."

In an earlier newspaper interview, Mr Blair claimed he had already apologised for the flawed information, although observers were unable to track down any occasion on which he had done so.

Last night Ms Hewitt sparked gasps of disbelief from the studio audience when she told Question Time: "What we said at the time and in the dossier about the stockpiles of weapons was wrong and we’ve apologised for that."

And there was loud applause for a woman who said of Mr Blair’s comment: "That is saying: ‘I’m able to apologise but I’m not actually apologising’."