DRAFTING OF THE IRAQ SURVEY GROUP FINDINGS

Motion Text

That this House notes the accusations, in the Observer on 15th May, by Dr. Rod Barton, an Australian intelligence officer, formerly a member of the CIA-led Iraq Survey Group (ISG), that Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) Director-General John Scarlett, whilst still chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, tried to influence the content of the independent verification research evaluation of Iraq's alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction programme by e-mailing the head of the ISG in March 2004 proposing the insertion into the report of nine 'nuggets' of WMD-related information based on British intelligence information rather than information or discoveries originating from the ISG's investigations; believes such a report can only carry credibility if it retains its independence, and thus any such attempted `sexing-up' of the report would be damaging to the entire Iraq inspection process; and calls upon the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to make a public statement on any involvement by John Scarlett in the drafting of the ISG report.