Gavin raises concerns over Chilcot Inquiry report
Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, has raised new concerns at Westminster about a leaked White House memo which suggests that former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was committed to the Iraq War a year before the House of Commons voted on it.
In a question to the Cabinet Office, Gavin asked about whether the Chilcot enquiry will research these damaging claims made against the Prime Minister.
Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, said:
“Like everyone else I want to see the Chilcot Enquiry report completed and published as soon as possible. This enquiry was first initiated in 2009 and as a result of lengthy delays – and at great cost to the taxpayer – we’re still waiting for the full report to be published.”
“The delays to the publishing of this report do offer an ideal and fortunate opportunity to explore whether the former Prime Minister was planning on engaging in an illegal war in Iraq a year before the House of Commons voted on it.”
“This memo makes a very serious allegation and does further damage to the legacy of Tony Blair. The British people need to know why we went to war with Iraq and this leaked memo should be investigated further.”
During the question that Gavin raised with the Cabinet he was also able to find out that the cost of the Chilcot enquiry has accumulated to over £10 million pounds with this amount expected to increase further.
Gavin added:
“We all want answers to find out why we were dragged into the illegal war in Iraq. However, the lengthy delays and the fact that the cost of this inquiry has reached over £10 million risks the public losing confidence in this important report.”
“The Government needs to gain control over this inquiry as the costs are starting to spiral out of control
