BBC NEWS | Politics | Fresh doubts over Iraq war advice

BBC NEWS | Politics | Fresh doubts over Iraq war advice

The attorney general faces fresh claims he changed his mind about the legality of Iraq war just before it began.

The claims are in a censored section of a resignation letter written by Foreign Office lawyer Elizabeth Wilmshurst, obtained by Channel 4 News.

She says Lord Goldsmith agreed until 7 March 2003 that war would be unlawful without a new UN resolution.

That suggests a late change of mind as his view published on 17 March said a new UN resolution was not needed.

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According to Channel 4, in the missing piece Ms Wilmshurst says: "My views accord with the advice that has been given consistently in this office (the foreign office legal team office) before and after the adoption of UN security council resolution 1441 and with what the attorney general gave us to understand was his view prior to his letter of 7 March. (The view expressed in that letter has of course changed again into what is now the official line.)"

The significance of the missing paragraph is that it appears to show a late change of mind by the attorney general.

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Another significant point that emerges from the released section is that Ms Wilmshurst specifically rejects the grounds on which Lord Goldsmith said that the war was legal.

I really don't need to add much to this. We all knew the descision to go to war was made a long time before Lord Goldsmith published his (ahem) advice.

The resignation letter in full