Justice Minister Jack Straw said keeping the March 2003 cabinet minutes secret was essential to maintaining "effective cabinet government". Straw was foreign secretary from 2001 to 2006.
Diplomatic sources told EurActiv (EurActiv 16/02/09) that the opening of national inquiries into the decisions that led the British and Dutch governments to support the US-led invasion in Iraq may be extremely relevant to this year's race for EU top jobs.
Former UK prime minister Tony Blair is widely seen as one of the strongest candidates to take the job of permanent EU president, a position created under the Lisbon Treaty, which still needs to be ratified by all EU member states. A few days ago, Alain Minc, a member of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's inner circle of advisors, told a public event that Sarkozy will back Blair's nomination for the position.
Blair was widely criticised for backing former US President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq to oust dictator Saddam Hussein, despite failing to secure a second United Nations resolution on the issue. While still in office, Blair resisted demands to disclose information regarding decisions taken on the eve of the Iraq war.
Tuesday's decision was reportedly greeted in the chamber with calls of "shame" and "disgraceful" from Labour and Conservative MPs.
David Howarth of the opposition Liberal Democrats was quoted as saying that the decision had "more to do with preventing embarrassment than with protecting the system of government".
