Jack Straw has said the decision to back the Iraq invasion was “the most difficult decision” he had ever taken.
In written evidence to the Iraq inquiry, the former foreign secretary described the issue as a “profoundly difficult moral and political dilemma”.
Appearing in person, Mr Straw said he regarded regime change as the objective of military action in Iraq as “improper and unlawful” and never supported it.
He is the first serving cabinet minister to give evidence.
‘Critical decision’
In a written statement published as he began to be questioned, Mr Straw said he was “fully aware” that, as foreign secretary, his support for military action would be “critical” if the UK was to commit troops.
“If I had refused that, the UK’s participation in the military action would not have been possible,” he said.
“There would almost certainly have been no majority in cabinet or in the Commons.”
During the first hour of a planned three-hour appearance before the inquiry, Mr Straw pointed out that US had backed the principle of regime change in Iraq since 1998 but this was never British policy.
