Brown bows to pressure over Iraq inquiry

Gordon Brown will give evidence to the Iraq Inquiry before the general election - and so he should.
It had looked like an attempt by Labour to bury bad news until after voters go to the poll.
But the Prime Minister, who held the purse-strings when the Iraq war was launched, is clearly calculating that it is better to get it over as soon as possible rather than have the issue raised in the general election campaign by political opponents.
More important than Gordon Brown's appearance is that the people of the UK get some answers. Let us hope the inquiry members will get stuck in with some tough questions - not just about the war but the preparedness of British troops in terms of equipment. As disgraced US President Richard Nixon declared: "There can be no whitewash at the White House". Substitute 10 Downing Street.
Meanwhile, before the current PM appears Tony Blair, the man who sent British troops to war, will appear. Roll on Friday, January 29.