London, January 28: Tony Blair’s most senior legal adviser changed his mind about the legality of the Iraq war after a three-week lobbying campaign prompted by Downing Street, it has emerged.
In a defiant day of evidence to the Iraq inquiry, Lord Goldsmith said he remained convinced that he had been right to give his legal backing to the March 2003 invasion, despite believing it to be in breach of international law just two months earlier. But he revealed that his legal opinion was crucially swayed by a series of meetings, including a secret briefing with US government lawyers in Washington, arranged after No 10 learned of his continuing doubts.
It also emerged yesterday that the Government has not sanctioned the release of crucial documents showing the way in which Lord Goldsmith’s legal advice changed. Frustrations over the Government’s failure to allow the publication of key documents were laid bare as Sir John Chilcot, the inquiry’s chairman, and Lord Goldsmith expressed anger that they could not refer to memos that were still being kept secret.
–Agencies