Blair 'had early Iraq war tip-off'

19:50pm 19th April 2006

Tony Blair was warned by a top diplomat to prepare for war in Iraq almost two months before the US-led invasion was finally launched, MPs heard.

Britain's former ambassador to Washington Sir Christopher Meyer said "the die was cast for war" before the Prime Minister met President Bush on January 31.

"By the time that Tony Blair came to the meeting I was saying that, absent of a coup in Iraq or Saddam suddenly deciding to go off into exile to some inhospitable place like Minsk, the die was cast for war," he told the foreign affairs committee.

"And therefore the Prime Minister's main objective from that meeting should be that in time of war we went into battle in the best company possible which was another way of saying 'let's get a second resolution'".

Sir Christopher also said Mr Blair had decided to back the US President "however the cards fell" from April 2002 - although that was not a decision to go to war.

"Blair had decided that the right thing to do was to be with the President of the United States whichever decision he chose to take...to try to ensure he had the maximum influence possible."

A leaked memorandum from the 2001 meeting reportedly shows that Mr Blair had told the President he was "solidly behind" military action - while still seeking a second UN resolution.

Asked if that meant those diplomatic efforts were "a smokescreen", Sir Christopher said: "I don't believe the two leaders lied to their respective public opinions."

The details of the discussions between the two leaders were featured in a recent book by Philippe Sands, a lawyer from the same chambers as the PM's wife Cherie Booth. A leaked memo recorded Mr Blair as saying he was ready "to do whatever it took" to disarm Saddam.

Professor Sands also gave evidence to the committee hearing - part of an investigation into the foreign policy aspects of the war on terror. He said the report was "incontrovertible" and exposed a "very significant gap" between what the Prime Minister was saying in private and his public declarations.

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