As I describe on the Index on Censorship website, I have put in a freedom of information request for the email sent by former Joint Intelligence Committee chairman John Scarlett asking for the report of the post-war Iraq Survey Group to be "sexed-up". Unsurprisingly, the request was refused.

The Index piece concentrates on the government's increasing use of the exemption under Section 27 of the FOI Act, prejudice to international relations. Rod Barton, who has already gone public over the email's contents, told me he thinks disclosure was refused "because of the embarrassment it would cause, particularly to one individual", i.e. Scarlett.

Barton wrote in his book The Weapons Detective that Scarlett was not "a fit person to head any intelligence organisation". He told me:

"whatever other attributes Scarlett may have, this is still my view. The greatest responsibility of intelligence assessment officers is to ensure their assessments are objective, free of bias and accurately reflect the available intelligence. Only they have access to all the data and therefore deliberately to convey bias equates to dishonesty. Spin may be acceptable in politics but not in intelligence."

Lord Bingham, a retired law lord, has called the invasion of Iraq "a serious violation of international law" and compared it to an act of vigilatism.

I've done a piece on this for Comment is Free, arguing that at least vigilantes act in good faith, which is more than can be said for Blair and co.

The government is still unwilling/unable to say when an inquiry will be possible, even as it plans to withdraw most troops from Iraq.