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Clare Short, Britain's former international development secretary, today accused Tony Blair of lying to her and misleading parliament in the build-up to the Iraq invasion. She told the inquiry that she had a conversation with Blair in 2002. He told her that he was not planning for war against Iraq and that the evidence has since revealed that he was not telling the truth at that point, she said.

A secret plan to foster an internal coup against Saddam Hussein was drawn up by the British government two years before the invasion of Iraq. Whitehall officials drafted the "contract with the Iraqi people" as a way of signalling to dissenters in Iraq that an overthrow of Saddam would be supported by Britain. The document was finalised on 11 June 2001 and approved by ministers.