‘Tougher safeguards needed for going to war’

Tougher safeguards are needed to prevent a prime minister taking the country to war without adequate Cabinet consultation, MPS have said.

The Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee said that a key finding of the Chilcot inquiry into the run-up to the Iraq war regarding lack of Cabinet discussion had not been acted on.

The committee’s report states that although the Cabinet Secretary is personally responsible for making sure that scrutiny of important decisions happens in line with the rules, their only resort is to resign if a prime minister ignores their advice.