Why is Geoff Hoon appearing at the Iraq Inquiry?
Geoff Hoon was the Defence Secretary from 1999 to 2005. He was party to all of the major Iraq developments, and was subsequently blamed for most of them. Looking back through the headlines he was in the firing line over fatal equipment shortages, the controversial September dossier, the death of Dr David Kelly, and the abuse of Iraqi prisoners among others. Consensus during the Hutton inquiry had it that he would be the fall guy - “Hoon is toast” said one politician.
If he survived Hutton what will he reveal today?
We Iraq Inquiry geeks are very excited about today’s appearance because Mr Hoon knows where the bodies are buried and may just be willing to say so. Many of the witnesses so far have been extremely guarded about what they know – Mr Hoon, who may want to clear his name to some extent, has nothing to hide after ending his political career with a half-hearted coup attempt against Gordon Brown this month.
Equipment shortages
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The most damaging criticism of Mr Hoon is that he delayed procurement of equipment for Iraq which led to the loss of British life.
An MoD report in 2005 found that Mr Hoon’s two-month delay in approving the order for the armour, led to an “unachievable timeframe” for supplying and distributing it. Sergeant Steven Roberts of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment died in a friendly fire incident four days after the invasion because he did not have the necessary body armour.
After an enormous outcry, Mr Hoon kept his job but was forced to apologise. “I am extremely sorry that Sergeant Roberts did not have the enhanced body armour which we expected that he would receive,” he said.
There have been persistent reports and allegations that Mr Hoon’s failure to provide enough equipment for British soldiers came after regular and angry disputes with Mr Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer. How will Mr Hoon describe the present Prime Minister’s dedication to military spending?
Build up to Iraq
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Mr Hoon has been criticised for his role in the dossiers about WMDs and his role in the leaking of the name of Dr David Kelly, a weapons expert who commited suicide after questioning the “45-minute claim”.
Robin Cook wrote in his diaries about Mr Hoon’s frame of mind in the run-up to Iraq: “I wish Geoff could try a little harder to conceal his relish for the military solution.” Did he relish it? “I don’t think I have ever relished a military solution. Because, probably more than any other colleague, I see the consequences,” he said.
Was he blamed at the time?
The beleaguered minister became a figure of ridicule as one crisis followed another.
On October 19, 2004, Ann Treneman described his latest humiliating appearance in Parliament.
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“Yesterday he feigned great delight in being under attack. In fact, as the session wore on, Mr Hoon became jollier and jollier. He did not actually say “ho, ho, ho” at any point, but at one very difficult moment he did make a joke.
“This was, predictably, a failure, but worse was to come when Mr Hoon then laughed at the dispatch box. I have never heard this before. It was a “hah-hah” type of laugh and almost a bark. I would say that his bark is worse than his bite except that Mr Hoon does not have a bite. Usually he paralyses his victims by boring them. This can be most effective but yesterday failed, for MPs were too angry to be bored.”