Chilcot Report

Executive Summary

Ordered in 2009 by the then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, the Chilcot Report is the official verdict on Britain's conduct before, during and after the Iraq war in 2003.

Named after its chairman Sir John Chilcot, a retired civil servant, the committee - formally the Iraq Inquiry - reported its findings on 6th July 2016.

It damned the handling of the war by the government of prime minister Tony Blair.

Philippe Sands QC wrote in the London Review of Books:

'It offers a long and painful account of an episode that may come to be seen as marking the moment when the UK fell off its global perch, trust in government collapsed and the country turned inward and began to disintegrate.'

The report deals with:

*Iraq's threat to Britain;

*legal advice for the invasion;

*intelligence about weapons of mass destruction; and

*planning for a post-conflict Iraq.

Published under an Open Government Licence, this book aims to bring to a wider audience the findings of a public inquiry which took seven years and cost the British taxpayer more than £10 million.

It has been designed to provide a superior reading experience to the official report: the typeface and spacing are different to the official report; however the text, headings, footnotes and any emphasis are exactly those of the original document.

CONTENTS

Introduction.

Pre-conflict strategy and planning.

The UK decision to support US military action.

Why Iraq? Why now?

The UK's relationship with the US.

Decision-making.

Advice on the legal basis for military action.

Weapons of mass destruction.

Planning for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.

The post-conflict period.

Occupation.

Transition.

Planning for withdrawal.

Did the UK achieve its objectives in Iraq?

Key findings.

Lessons

Timeline of events

Ideal for any student of politics, diplomacy, or conflict.