Government blames intelligence 'rogue elements' in weapons row PM to face Commons inquiry over arms controversy By Andrew Grice and Rupert Cornwell in Washington 04 June 2003
A senior Minister has blamed "rogue elements" in the intelligence services for questioning the evidence behind Tony Blair's decision to go to war in Iraq.
As the pressure built on the Prime Minister, John Reid, the Leader of the Commons, launched an extraordinary attack on parts of the security services. He told The Times: "There have been uncorroborated briefings by a potentially rogue element or indeed rogue elements in the intelligence services. I find it difficult to grasp why this should be believed against the word of the British Prime Minister and the head of the Joint Intelligence Committee."
Dr Reid repeated his claim today and called on critics to "put up or shut up". There was "15 years of evidence" that Saddam had such weapons, he said.
He said on the BBC Breakfast programme that no one had a greater respect than him for the security services after his experience in Northern Ireland and at the Ministry of Defence.
"What has happened over the past week has been as big an attack on the leadership of those security services and intelligence services as it has on the Prime Minister," he said.
"We have now had five days during which the allegation is made that not only has the Prime Minister and people like myself and the Cabinet been dishonest and duplicitous in deceiving our Cabinet colleagues or Parliament ... but also that the chairman of the joint intelligence committee, and the joint intelligence committee itself ... allowed their integrity to be impeached, allowed evidence to be misrepresented ... these are scurrilous attacks on people who have served this country," he said.
He later said on BBC Radio Radio 4's Today programme that the programme's reporter Andrew Gilligan had made inconsistent claims and suggested at one point they could have come from a "man in the pub".
Dr Reid's intervention came after it became clear that the all-party Foreign Affairs Select Committee is to launch an inquiry which will focus on whether the Foreign Office and the Government "presented accurate and complete information to Parliament in the period leading up to military action in Iraq, particularly in relation to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction".
Mr Blair will attempt to defuse the row in Prime Minister's Questions today when he will announce that Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee will investigate the information handed to the Government by the security services on Iraq's illegal arsenal. But many MPs will be dissatisfied with an inquiry by the ISC, which meets behind closed doors and reports directly to the Prime Minister.
The announcement of an inquiry by the foreign affairs committee, whose hearings are normally held in public, was unexpected. It will start next week and a report is expected as early as next month.
The inquiry represents a considerable challenge to Mr Blair, who cannot control an independent committee of MPs.
Donald Anderson, Labour chairman of the committee, said he would request all relevant intelligence material be provided by No 10. He said: "It's clearly a matter of major public concern, the quality of intelligence. We will ask for all relevant material and if it is lacking we will say so in our report." Mr Anderson said that the committee might invite Mr Blair, Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, and serving intelligence officers to give evidence.
