Clare Short lets slip that report will criticise post-war plans

THE Chilcot report will criticise the international development department for failing to properly plan for the postwar reconstruction of Iraq, Clare Short has revealed.

But Ms Short, who was in charge of the department at the time of the invasion, claimed that Sir John Chilcot’s criticism was “ill-informed” and lacking in knowledge of international law.

On BBC Radio 4, she said: “I’ve seen the parts of the report that are critical of DfID [Department for International Development] on the reconstruction – I think in an ill-informed way not being aware of international law.

“But you’re not supposed to talk about it.

“I actually shouldn’t have said what I’ve just said.”

The DfID was strongly criticised during the Chilcot inquiry by military commanders.

Admiral Lord Boyce, then chief of the defence staff, said British troops ended up having to carry out a lot of reconstruction work without the support of DfID experts.

“I thought DfID were particularly uncooperative, particularly as led by Clare Short,” he said.

Military chiefs put the problem down to Ms Short’s opposition to the invasion in March 2003, which led to her quitting the Cabinet two months later.

Sir John has come under fire for the delay in producing his report, which the then prime minister Gordon Brown commissioned in 2009.

The report has been delayed by a process known as “Maxwellisation”, under which those who face criticism are given the opportunity to respond before publication.

Sir John said last month that he had received the last response, but further work would be required to evaluate the “detailed” submissions.

When the report is finally released, the former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, ex-defence secretary Geoff Hoon and senior Foreign Office officials are among those expected to be blamed for failings in the UK’s prosecution of the war.