The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

“The Building Stability Overseas (BSO) Board, made up of MOD, DFID and FCO

Directors (including the previous Stabilisation Unit Board) oversees ongoing

discussions between departments on duty of care, seeking to provide the best

possible security arrangements for delivering coherent HMG effect and exploring

opportunities for greater flexibility where circumstances allow …

“However there do remain key differences between the FCO and MOD practices.

In Afghanistan, FCO civilians use close protection bodyguards, while MOD

civilians rely on military protection. Pay and allowances, duration of postings,

R&R arrangements as well as compensation and insurance arrangements vary

across all departments, often reflecting differing roles of personnel. As noted earlier,

in all locations, security arrangements are determined according to the threats

present, and assessed on a case by case basis.” 501

791. In May 2004, Mr David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, wrote to Mr Straw as Chair

of the AHMGIR to propose that UK police officers and other civilians seconded to

Iraq should be eligible for the Iraq campaign medal or a civilian equivalent.502 Home

Office officials had advised the police that UK police officers seconded to Iraq might

be eligible for the Iraq Campaign Medal, but had since been advised by the Cabinet

Office Ceremonial Secretariat that it was a military medal for which police officers were

not eligible. Mr Blunkett suggested that would have been a reasonable position were

the campaign medal awarded solely to members of the Armed Forces, but civilians

serving directly with the Armed Forces in support of Op TELIC were also eligible. It was

“abundantly clear that our civilians in Iraq run risks to their own lives often comparable

to those faced by the military, and certainly probably [sic] greater than in civilian

deployments almost anywhere in the world”.

792. Mr Blunkett warned that the repercussions for the police, who had been given to

understand that they were eligible, “could be very serious”. He recommended that the

eligibility criteria be changed or a new medal created.

793. Mr Straw commended Mr Blunkett’s letter to Mr Douglas Alexander, Minister for the

Cabinet Office, and sent it to Mr Blair. Mr Straw stated: “I believe that the recognition of

all personnel serving directly in support of government policy in Iraq, whether serving in

Jordan or Iraq, should be appropriately rewarded.” 503

794. Sir Andrew Turnbull put three options to Mr Blair:

• extending the Iraq campaign medal to include other civilians, which was not

supported by the military;

501 Letter O’Donnell to Aldred, [undated], ‘Iraq Inquiry’ attaching Paper Cabinet Office, 7 March 2011,

‘Iraq: Inquiry further questions for the Cabinet Secretary’.

502 Letter Blunkett to Straw, 17 May 2004, [untitled].

503 Letter Straw to Alexander, 8 June 2004, ‘Honouring Service in Iraq’.

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