The Iraq Inquiry (Chilcot Inquiry): findings and what happened next
UK government policy on Iraq from 2001 to 2009, including the decision to join the 2003 invasion and its aftermath.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Type
- public inquiry
- Chaired by
- Sir John Chilcot
- Report published
- 6 July 2016
Implementation, as of 18 January 2018The government pointed to existing reforms in 2016 and the Ministry of Defence published a lessons handbook in January 2018. No formal implementation programme tracking the lessons was identified.
What the inquiry found
- The inquiry found that the diplomatic options had not been exhausted when the UK joined the invasion, stating "Military action was therefore not a last resort."4,1,3,2
- The inquiry found that judgements about Iraq's weapons were presented with "a certainty that was not justified."3,2
- The inquiry did not rule on legality but described the circumstances in which the legal basis for action was decided as "far from satisfactory."3
- The inquiry found that planning and preparation for Iraq after Saddam Hussein were "wholly inadequate."3
Key recommendations
- The inquiry set out lessons rather than numbered recommendations, including that Mr Blair did not establish clear ministerial oversight of planning and preparation.2
What happened next
- Prime Minister David Cameron told the House of Commons that taking the country to war should always be a last resort, pointed to reforms including the National Security Council, and committed two days of debate on the report.5
- The Ministry of Defence published The Good Operation, a handbook that it said crystallises the main lessons from the Iraq Inquiry report and incorporates the Cabinet Office's Chilcot Checklist.6
Read the report: www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-report-of-the-iraq-inquiry
Sources
- UK Government (GOV.UK), The Report of the Iraq Inquiry (6 July 2016)
- Law Society of Scotland, Chilcot, Government did not exhaust options before going to war (6 July 2016)
- ITV News, Chilcot delivers Iraq War Inquiry findings (6 July 2016)
- UK Government (GOV.UK), The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary (6 July 2016)
- Prime Minister's Office (GOV.UK), PM statement on the Iraq Inquiry, 6 July 2016 (6 July 2016)
- Ministry of Defence (GOV.UK), The Good Operation (18 January 2018)