The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

708. By the time Sir David Manning had produced his record of the discussion between

Mr Blair and Mr Hoon, the MOD had already acted.

709. Mr Hoon’s Office replied to No.10 immediately stating:

“Separately and heavily caveated, we have indicated to CENTCOM that we are still

considering a Land option … we agreed that the UK involvement … should continue

on this basis. Defence staffs will continue actively to ensure that US expectations

remain realistic.”278

710. Sir David Manning commented to Mr Powell: “Just about OK” and referred to being

“bounced” by the MOD.279

711. Neither the content nor the terms of the UK’s offer to the US were considered

by Ministers collectively.

712. On 23 September, Cabinet was told that there would be a future discussion

of military options.

713. On 23 September, Cabinet was informed that the question of military action would

arise “only if inspections were thwarted again”.280

714. Cabinet was not given any information about the options under consideration.

Mr Blair concluded: “If military action was required, the job could be done. There would

be a discussion about the military options.”

715. Ms Clare Short, the International Development Secretary from 1997 to 2003,

told the Inquiry that Mr Blair had told her in September 2002 that he hadn’t had a

presentation on the military options; in her view that was “one of the many misleading

things he said”.281

716. As the evidence in this Section shows, Mr Blair had been offered advice on the

nature of the options for a UK contribution to US‑led military action from April onwards,

but in September the MOD’s thinking on the role it might be able to play was still

evolving. The debate at that stage was about the assumptions the US should make in

its planning.

278 Letter Williams to Manning, 25 September 2002, ‘Iraq: Potential UK Contribution to Any Military Action’.

279 Manuscript comment Manning to Powell on Letter Williams to Manning, 25 September 2002, ‘Iraq:

Potential UK Contribution to Any Military Action’.

280 Cabinet Conclusions, 23 September 2002.

281 Public hearing, 2 February 2010, page 15.

280