Blair's Government Drops Key Claim on Iraq's WMD Amid ISG Report

The UK's Tony Blair government has made a significant admission regarding Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction, dropping the key claim that Saddam Hussein could fire such weapons within 45 minutes of an order. This comes after the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) reported that Hussein possessed no WMD at the outset of the war. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the Commons that MI6 would no longer use the source that made this claim, citing the standard practice of accepting incorrect information. The development has sparked calls for a full Commons statement from the Prime Minister, with the Liberal Democrats insisting that Blair must take responsibility for the false information.

Key Takeaways:

• The UK government has formally dropped the claim that Saddam Hussein could fire WMD within 45 minutes of an order, citing the ISG report's findings that Hussein possessed no WMD at the outset of the war.
• The withdrawal of this "line of reporting" is standard practice by the security services when they accept the information received in the field is wrong.
• Jack Straw has acknowledged the mistakes made in the September 2002 dossier on Iraq's WMD, but the apology falls short of the one made by Blair at the Labour party conference, where he accepted responsibility for the way the issue was presented.
• The Liberal Democrats believe Blair's apology on the floor of the Commons does not match the one given to his own party, and a full Commons statement is necessary.
• Labour MPs have refrained from putting Jack Straw under further pressure on Iraq, indicating they want to avoid overt divisions on the war in the run-up to the general election.
• The government of Iyad Allawi will still proceed with elections in Iraq, even if the UN decides not to oversee them due to security reasons.

Statistics:

• The Iraq Survey Group (ISG) reported that Saddam Hussein possessed no WMD at the outset of the war.
• The Labour party conference took place in Brighton, where Blair made his most explicit apology yet for the false information on Iraq's WMD.
• The elections in Iraq are scheduled for January, with the UN expressing concern about its potential oversight role.

Sources:

• Tony Blair (2004) - Labour party conference speech in Brighton.
• Jack Straw (2004) - Statement to the Commons on the withdrawal of MI6 reporting lines.
• Charles Kennedy (2004) - Press statement on the Liberal Democrats' concerns about Blair's apology.
• Lord Butler's report into Iraq and intelligence.
• Iraq Survey Group (ISG) report on Saddam Hussein's WMD.