The attorney general initially told Tony Blair that an invasion of Iraq would be illegal without a new resolution from the United Nations and only overturned his advice when Washington ordered Downing Street to find legal advice which would justify the war.
The devastating claim will be made by eminent QC and Labour peer Baroness Helena Kennedy in a television interview today.
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Baroness Kennedy points out that Lord Goldsmith was a commercial lawyer with no experience of international law and initially relied heavily on the advice of lawyers within the Foreign Office in the months before the war. It is widely believed that advice overwhelmingly warned against invading without a UN resolution.
She claims that when Washington was told of this advice their response was succinct: find a new lawyer.This is from Scotland's Sunday Herald, dateline Feb 29.
http://www.sundayherald.com/40318Check out the poll at the bottom of the story as of a few minutes ago 88% of respondents said there should be a full inquiry into the legal justification for the war in Iraq. However, it doesn't tell the number of respondents.