Gordon Brown commits himself to holding a public inquiry on Iraq (…if he survives the next election)

Gordon Brown has made a commitment to hold a full-scale public inquiry into the Iraq War:

Gordon Brown has promised that the Government will hold a full-scale inquiry into the mistakes made in Iraq before and since the invasion five years ago.

His concession marks a significant break from his predecessor, Tony Blair, who steadfastly refused to hold a wide-ranging inquiry into the war.

[...]

Mr Brown’s promise came in a letter to Sunder Katwala, general secretary of the Labour-affiliated Fabian Society, who had urged him to mark the anniversary by announcing a public inquiry.

Brown hasn’t set a date, deeming it to be inappropriate due to the “fragile” situation in Iraq. My guess is he will only go for a public inquiry if the Labour Party wins the next general election under his leadership and there is no significant deterioration in the Middle East (i.e. Iran), in which Britain ends up committing more troops.

Pickled Politics has the full letter Brown sent to Sunder Katwala.