Category: National Archives

Blair pressured officials over case of UK soldiers accused of beating Iraqi man to death, files show

Then PM wrote on note from aide in 2005 that case ‘must not’ be dealt with in civil court, archives revealTony Blair put pressure on officials to ensure that British soldiers accused of beating an Iraqi man to death while in...

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Brown’s allies could wreck Labour’s 2005 election hopes, Mandelson warned

Tony Blair was told that tensions with his then chancellor would need to be carefully managed, files reveal‘Too complacent’: how Blair’s advisers misjudged his disastrous WI speechPeter Mandelson warned Tony Blair not to allow...

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Cenotaph wreath rules were changed to placate unionists, Blair-era files show

Archives reveal political manoeuvring to ensure DUP’s inclusion in 2004 Remembrance Sunday ceremonyTony Blair’s government altered the rules on party leaders laying wreaths at the Cenotaph to keep unionists onboard with Northern...

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Australia pressed Tony Blair to avoid meeting ‘troublemaker’ 1999 Indigenous delegation, archives reveal

Representatives led by Patrick Dodson met Queen but memo reveals PM advised to plead ‘diary problems’Tony Blair’s government was privately lobbied by Australia not to meet representatives of Indigenous communities who were...

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Advisers urged Tony Blair to rein in George W Bush over Iraq war ‘mission from God’

A senior US official said the president needed a ‘dose of reality’ to deal with Iraqi insurgents, documents revealTony Blair’s advisers privately questioned if the US had “proper political control” of military operations in Iraq...

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‘Dubious’ use of the Freedom of Information act stopping access to files on Prince Andrew, researchers say

Biographer says government departments give contradictory refusals to requests and accuses them of ‘cover up’Researchers have called for greater transparency from the Foreign Office over the files it holds on the Duke of York....

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