Some quick background on how the inquiry’s going to operate.
The five-strong committee led by Sir John Chilcot was appointed by the Prime Minister this summer after the announcement that British military operations in Iraq had effectively ended finished.
Despite being selected by the government, Sir John has vowed that the committee will be fair, thorough and independent. But he’s also been at pains to stress that this isn’t a trial or an inquest – he says that although they’ll criticise where they see fit, “nobody is on trial”. (These points, coupled with the committee’s collective lack of legal experience, have some commentators asking whether they’re up to the job at hand.)
For the first five weeks the inquiry will be hearing from the men (and yes, according to the initial witness list they’re all men) who were among the most senior civil servants and military officials between 2001 and the 2003. Early next year they’ll move onto the government ministers – including former Prime Minister Tony Blair – who took the country to war and beyond.
Sir John’s pledged that as much of the inquiry as possible will be held in public (you can watch it ‘live-streaming’ and find details of how to attend in person on the official website) but a tranche of national security-related evidence will be heard in private early in 2010.
The committee hope to report by the end of next year but have apologised in advance if they miss that target.