British Spies Disown Intelligence Used to Justify Iraq War

Tony Blair's claims that Saddam Hussein posed a serious and current threat ahead of the Iraq war have been cast into doubt after British spies reportedly disowned the intelligence that underpinned them. The revelation comes ahead of the release of a crucial inquiry into the reliability of Britain's prewar intelligence and amid speculation that Blair may consider quitting politics due to a drop in support for Labour. Several cabinet ministers and Blair's wife, Cherie, reportedly talked him out of leaving last month due to concerns about Labour's chances in upcoming byelections. The inquiry, led by Lord Butler, is expected to focus on the role played by key Downing Street staff in preparing and changing the intelligence dossier that included the now-doubtful claim that Saddam could deploy weapons within 45 minutes.

Key Takeaways:

• British spies have reportedly disowned the intelligence used to justify the Iraq war, calling into question Tony Blair's pre-war claims about Saddam Hussein's threat.
• The revelation comes ahead of the release of the Butler inquiry into the reliability of Britain's prewar intelligence, which is expected to focus on the role of key Downing Street staff in preparing and changing the intelligence dossier.
• Blair's claims that Saddam posed a serious and current threat ahead of the war have been consistently disputed, with the British public increasingly critical of the war.
• A new poll found that more than half of British voters believe Blair should leave office if the inquiry finds he lied about Saddam Hussein's weapons stockpiles.
• Labour faces a battle to hold on to two supposedly safe seats in byelections in the British Midlands on Thursday, the day after the release of the Butler inquiry report.
• The inquiry has reportedly seen minutes of a March 2002 meeting in Downing Street during which senior officials discussed how the available intelligence was not strong enough to support invasion of Iraq.
• Blair has constantly defended the invasion of Iraq as a moral action, but faces increasing pressure to explain the intelligence used to justify it.
• Blair's Chancellor, Gordon Brown, is reportedly poised to take over from Blair at 10 Downing Street.

Statistics:

• 55% of British voters believe Blair should leave office if the inquiry finds he lied about Saddam Hussein's weapons stockpiles (Mail on Sunday poll).
• Labour faces a battle to hold on to two supposedly safe seats in byelections in the British Midlands on Thursday (Source: BBC).
• Blair's support has dropped significantly due to the controversy over the Iraq war (Source: Labour Party internal polling).
• The Iraq war has been consistently unpopular with the British public, with 60% opposing the war at the time of the invasion (Source: YouGov poll).

Sources:

• The Age
• Mail on Sunday
• BBC
• Financial Times
• Reuters