John Chilcot
| John Chilcot link (Civil servant) | |
|---|---|
| File:Chilcott.jpg | |
| Born | 1939-04-22 England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Pembroke College (Cambridge) |
Chair of the Inquiry into the UK's involvement in the Iraq War. | |
Sir John Chilcot (born 22 April 1939) is a Privy Counsellor and former senior civil servant. His appointment as Chair of the Iraq Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the March 2003 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath was announced in June 2009.[1]
On 6 July 2016, Sir John Chilcot read out a 12-page public statement at the QEII Conference Centre in London,[2] after which the 2.6 million-word Chilcot Report, in 12 Volumes with 5 Annexes, was published on the Iraq Inquiry website.[3]
Safe pair of hands
Chilcot was a member of the Butler Review of the use of intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He acted as "staff counsellor" to MI5 and MI6 from 1999 to 2004, "dealing with private and personal complaints from members of the intelligence services about their work and conditions."[4]
He is described as "a mandarin with a safe pair of hands", though some doubt his forensic skill. International lawyer Philippe Sands is reported as saying "Having some familiarity with Sir John's questioning ... it is not immediately apparent that he will have the backbone to take on former government ministers."[5] Sands also commented specifically in The Observer, on Chilcot's questioning of Attorney-General Peter Goldsmith during the Butler inquiry:
"He [Lord Goldsmith] gave evidence on 5 May 2004. The uncorrected transcript shows some members of the inquiry pressing him [Goldsmith] hard. By contrast, Sir John's spoon-fed questions give every impression of being designed to elicit a response from the Attorney-General that would demonstrate the reasonableness of his actions and those of the government.” <refhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/21/iraq-inquiry-philippe-sands</ref>
Chilcot Inquiry
- Full article: Iraq Inquiry
- Full article: Iraq Inquiry
The Chilcot Inquiry, announced on 15 June 2009 by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was not to apportion blame, but to "get to the heart of what happened". Chilcot's 2.6 million word report was published on 6 July 2016.[6]
References
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/15/iraq-war-inquiry-conservative-reaction
- ↑ "Statement by Sir John Chilcot: 6 July 2016"
- ↑ "The Report of the Iraq Inquiry"
- ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6637394/Iraq-inquiry-profile-of-Sir-John-Chilcot.html
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/15/iraq-inquiry-john-chilcott
- ↑ "Iraq Inquiry report to be published 6 July 2016"