Core Exec - Blair sidelined Cabinet over Iraq

Tony Blair sidelined the Cabinet over the decision to invade Iraq because he feared ministers would leak sensitive material to the press, the head of the civil service. Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, has tesfiied before the Chilcot Inquiry. In his recent memoirs Mr Blair complained that supporters of Gordon Brown, the then chancellor, frequently briefed the media about confidential government matters. The inquiry has heard that during the run-up to the 2003 invasion, the cabinet rarely discussed Iraq and ministers never received papers which were circulated between members of Mr Blair’s inner circle. Sir Gus criticised the approach, which has been dubbed “sofa government,” saying that cabinet minister’s deliberations were undermined by the lack of trust the former prime minister had in them. “That’s one of the reasons why the prime minister was reluctant at times to take as many cabinet decisions as possible: he felt that they would become very public very quickly,” he said. Tony Blair felt there wasn’t a “safe space” to discuss the Iraq war with his Cabinet or as part of a smaller Cabinet Committee because they were prone to leaks. But he stated that Mr Blair should have put more trust in his ministers and given them the full legal advice from the then Attorney General Lord Goldsmith before they agreed invasion plans in 2003. If a similar situation happened now he said: “I will encourage Prime Ministers to build cabinets where you are not afraid of challenge and where you build trust amongst people,” adding they must have “regular frequent meetings with a clear structure and a clear set of papers.”

This is of obvious relevance to the issue of looking at the balance of power between PM and Cabinet - for more detail and comment the Telegraph has the story - Tony Blair sidelined Cabinet over Iraq because he couldn’t trust ministers not to leak