2 | Decision-making within government

“… we shall need to watch to ensure … that (c) [Restricted COBR] provides the

framework we need to link effectively with the contingency planning in the MOD …

Ideally, I should have preferred Bowen to run a Restricted officials forum, given the

other pressures on Manning’s time, the need to begin setting a regular rhythm, and

some of the wider issues to be confronted.”

215. Asked to explain the Whitehall arrangements, Sir David Manning told the Inquiry

that the Restricted group chaired by himself or his deputy included “all those who had

access to the most sensitive intelligence”.126 It was not focused solely on Iraq, and often

had other pressing issues to deal with but:

“… it was an opportunity to bring – to report on the progress that different

departments had made, on the latest assessment that may have come out of the

agencies, the political issues that were being confronted by the Foreign Office,

the difficulties that the Ministry of Defence might be encountering and so on and

so forth.”

216. The wider group drew in those with less or very little access to sensitive

intelligence.

217. Between 20 September 2002 and 27 August 2003 there were 67 meetings of

COBR(R).127

218. Agendas for the discussions usually recorded Iraq as item one, under which a

bullet point list of topics followed. The first of those was usually an intelligence update.

219. None of the meetings were fully minuted. After 22 meetings out of 67 a list of

actions was recorded.128 For the others, no official record of the discussion was made.

220. Actions were allocated to specific departments or agencies. The only reference

to the AHGI is found in the list of actions arising from a meeting of COBR(R) on

5 February 2003, which said:

“The FCO to ensure that key elements of the ongoing work on ‘aftermath’ planning

are fed to COBR(R) via the Ad Hoc Group (Action: FCO/OD Sec).”129

221. There is no evidence of issues being formally escalated by the AHGI to COBR(R).

126 Public hearing, 30 November 2009, pages 44-45.

127 Agenda or Notes of Actions Cabinet Office, for COBR(R) meetings dated 20, 25, 27 September 2002;

2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 25, 28 October; 1, 4, 6, 8, 13, 18, 27, 29 November 2002; 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18,

20 December 2002; 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20 22, 24, 29, 31 January 2003; 3, 5, 7,10, 11, 12, 13, 14,

17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28 February 2003; 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 17, 29 March 2003; 7 April 2003; 4, 25 June 2003;

30 July 2003; 6, 13, 27 August 2003.

128 Notes of Actions Cabinet Office, for COBR(R) meetings dated 20, 27 September 2002; 2, 9, 14,

16 October 2002; 9, 11, 13, 20 December 2002; 3, 10 January 2003; 5, 7, 24, 26 February 2003;

29 March 2003; 4, 25 June 2003; 30 July 2003; 6, 27 August 2003.

129 Note of Actions Cabinet Office, 5 February 2003, ‘COBR(R)’.

301