Richard Heller: The 10 questions that Brown must answer at Iraq inquiry

The Prime Minister says that he has nothing to hide. That may well be true and it is the central question for the inquiry. Did Tony Blair take Britain into the Iraq war without the active support of his most powerful minister?

Was Gordon Brown simply the humble treasurer who signed the cheques when his CEO led the company into a crazy personal venture?

Such a meek and submissive role would have been wildly out of character for Gordon Brown. During his long, tormented relationship with Tony Blair he never hesitated to throw a tantrum to assert his will, often over trivial policy differences or imagined personal slights. It is a bitter irony that when the country most needed a clunking fist from Gordon Brown, to prevent the worst policy mistake of modern times, he chose instead to wash his hands.

The decorous Iraq inquiry team would never put that issue so bluntly to Gordon Brown, but they must tease out a full account of his behaviour and motivation in the run-up to the Iraq war.

The plain truth is that things would have turned out differently if Gordon Brown had resisted Tony Blair's commitment to war. We all

deserve to know why he chose not to – and whether he now has any regrets.

Of course, our service people and their families also need answers from him on his financial provision for the war, and the accusations that his defence budgets were responsible for shortages of essential equipment in Iraq.

Here are some questions which might help the inquiry team.

1Alastair Campbell described you as a key minister in all decision-making about Iraq. Is this an accurate description? When you look back on all the actions by Tony Blair in the run-up to the war, can you name any which were unknown to you at the time?

2When were you first asked to prepare to make financial provision for fighting a war in Iraq?

3What estimates did you receive from the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence for the additional costs of war and occupation in Iraq? Were these met in full, and if so, how? Were these estimates revised upwards, and if so, how were the additional costs met?

4Do you accept any degree of personal responsibility for shortages of essential equipment in Iraq? If financial provision was adequate, do you have any alternative explanation for these shortages?

5You were a regular visitor to the United States. You had deep personal knowledge of American political life and many personal contacts. Did you volunteer any of that knowledge in the formulation of Iraq policy? In particular, did you offer any insight into the strength of American opposition to the Iraq war, including within the Bush administration?

6Did you ever seek any independent advice on any aspect of Iraq policy? Did you ever suggest any alternatives to the Iraq policies pursued by Tony Blair? In particular, were you aware of Jack Straw's suggestion that Britain might confine itself to logistical support for the Iraq war, and what was your response?

7Did you see any raw intelligence data on Iraq and WMD and if so, did you interrogate it in any way? In a recent interview with Tribune, you suggested that you supported the war because Saddam had failed to

comply with the international community's demands for disclosure. That is not the same as saying that Saddam was actually in possession of WMD. Did you, in fact, believe that he did have WMD, and did you sincerely believe that he constituted a "serious, urgent and growing threat" to this country?

8Both David Blunkett and Clare Short have suggested that you had doubts about the Iraq war, but were afraid to express them for fear of

dismissal as Chancellor. Did you, for any reason whatever, feel

inhibited in raising views about Iraq policy in the run-up to the war? In particular, did you fear that they would be interpreted as a leadership bid? When anti-war Labour MPs invited you to resist the war, what replies did you give them?

9Given all the evidence revealed since the Iraq war, do you now believe that Tony Blair presented a full and honest case for Britain's participation in the war? Are there any statements by him, or by the government generally, which should not have been made?

10What benefits did Britain gain from joining the Iraq war and occupation? (Last year Dr Lynne Jones, the Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, put this question to Gordon Brown in the House of Commons. He did not give her a substantive reply. Perhaps he has managed to think of one since]. Do you now believe that the war was necessary or lawful or profitable for our country? Do you regret supporting it?

Richard Heller is a former adviser to Denis Healey.