Foreign Secretary David Miliband has published an early draft of the UK’s infamous dossier on Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction.

The document, by Foreign Office press chief John Williams, was an unpublished draft of the dossier which was unveiled by Tony Blair on 24 September 2002.

The Foreign Office failed in its appeal against the Information Commissioner’s order that it should release the draft.

It had said publishing it could inhibit the “effective conduct of government”.

Weapons expert Dr David Kelly was found dead shortly after being named as the source of a BBC report suggesting the dossier was “sexed up” shortly before publication.

Balance of disclosure

Dr Kelly cited the example of the claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction which could be used within 45 minutes of him giving an order.

The report led to a high profile dispute between the BBC and Downing Street which culminated in Dr Kelly’s death.

More at BBC

Gordon Brown is preparing to announce the withdrawal of a substantial number of Britain’s remaining troops in Iraq as soon as Parliament returns next week. Up to half the force of 5,500 could be on their way home in the next few months.

One cabinet minister told The Independent on Sunday that the announcement by the Prime Minister would be “significant” and would set out a clear strategic direction on Iraq. This would involve the withdrawal of thousands of troops, according to senior government sources.

Details of the pull-out emerged as it was claimed ministers had drawn up secret plans to slash the number of ships in the Royal Navy. The Sunday Telegraph said the expected cuts followed a spending row between service chiefs and the Treasury.

Mr Brown is expected to confirm the handover of Basra, the last remaining province in British hands, to full Iraqi control, and to outline a timetable for the departure of most British forces in Iraq next year.

Under a series of scenarios being drawn up by aides, between 2,000 and 3,000 troops would remain in Iraq into next year in an “overwatch” role, ready to intervene in an emergency if called on by the Iraqi or American authorities. They would continue to train the Iraqi military and police, and protect the supply route from neighbouring Kuwait, which is vital to US forces further north.

More at the Independent

British soldiers began withdrawing Sunday from their final remaining base inside the southern Iraqi city of Basra, a move likely to prompt a further reduction in troop numbers, lawmakers and officials said.

Around 550 soldiers stationed in Basra Palace were leaving the downtown site to join 5,000 other personnel at an air base camp on the fringes of the city ending their permanent presence in Iraq’s second largest city.

The Iraqi military sent hundreds of reinforcements to the city to prevent Shiite militias and criminal gangs from expanding their influence now that the British have gone.

More at ABC News

Yesterday the scathing op-ed in the New York Times by the British Sec. of Defense and the Sec. of Foreign Affairs, and today this.

From Yahoo News:

The head of the British Army during the invasion of Iraq has blasted the United States for its handling of the aftermath, a newspaper reported Saturday.

General Sir Mike Jackson laid into the then US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a stinging attack, said The Daily Telegraph, which is to serialise his forthcoming autobiography, “Soldier”.

Jackson branded US policy after the March 2003 invasion “intellectually bankrupt” and slammed Rumsfeld’s claim that US forces “don’t do nation-building” as “nonsensical.”

Jackson said Rumsfeld was “one of the most responsible for the current situation in Iraq.”

The comments are likely to fuel the tensions over Iraq between allies Britain and the United States.

From the Boston Globe:

Britain fought back against criticism in Washington over its performance in Iraq on Friday, taking the unusual step of publishing an editorial in a U.S. newspaper staunchly defending its record.

The opinion-editorial, jointly signed by the defense and foreign ministers, follows weeks of commentary, largely in the American press, in which military analysts, former generals and unnamed administration sources have suggested that British forces have failed in Basra and are set to flee.

The barrage has built up since Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair, Washington’s staunchest ally, as British prime minister in June, and spurred the response from Defence Secretary Des Browne and Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

You can read the editorial here, at the Washington Post.

The global credit crunch will see a sharp rise in the number of Britons put on a debt blacklist and denied mortgages, loans and credit cards, experts claim.

The seven million turned down by mainstream lenders in 2006 is predicted to soar to at least 8.6million by 2011 - around one in six of the adult population.

It could be even higher as a result of the shock to the finances of the world’s banks caused by the U.S. mortgage meltdown.

Thousands of Britons are living a hand-to-mouth existence following five increases in the Bank of England base rate in the past year.

Home repossessions are up nearly a third on last year, coupled with a big rise in county court judgments against debt defaulters.

At the same time, banks, building societies and other lenders are radically reviewing their rules to screen out risky borrowers.

More at the Daily Mail

I can understand the ban of the Iran hostages selling their stories, but I think they’ve taken the gag a bit overboard here. Sound familiar?

The Ministry of Defence has introduced new guidelines to prevent military personnel talking about their experiences as members of the Armed Forces.

Soldiers, sailors and air force members will be prevented from blogging, taking part in surveys, speaking in public or posting on bulletin boards, according to The Guardian.

They will also be barred from playing multi-player computer games and sending text messages, photographs and audio or video material without permission if they relate to defence matters.

The guidelines say “all such communication must help to maintain and, where possible, enhance the reputation of defence”, the paper reported.

They come after the row earlier this year about two members of the Royal Navy selling their stories to the media after being held captive in Iran.

Receiving money for interviews, conferences and books which draw on official defence experience has now been banned.

More at This Is London