WMDs: The big questions
Because Tony Blair (and to a lesser extent President Bush) cited the possession of weapons of mass destruction by Saddam as the key reason for the invasion of Iraq. In his dossier published in September 2002, the PM said there was clear intelligence to show Saddam had such weapons, was able to use chemical and biological arms at 45 minutes' notice, and was trying to build an atomic bomb.
What has been found since the invasion?
No actual chemical, biological or nuclear weapons have been found. Nor has any evidence of such arms existing in recent times been unearthed, despite eight months of searching by the US-led Iraq Survey Group.
What are the chances of finding weapons now?
ISG chief David Kay resigned 10 days ago and predicted that WMD will never be found in Iraq. He said Saddam probably destroyed all his WMD years ago. The White House then conceded that the findings on the ground did not match intelligence before the war.
Why is it suddenly becoming a crisis for Mr Blair?
Until now he has rebuffed demands for an inquiry by saying the ISG needed time to complete its search. But Dr Kay's comments make his stance untenable. The real tipping point for Mr Blair seems to be that the President has caved in to demands for an independent inquiry in the US leaving the PM looking isolated.
Did Lord Hutton acquit Downing Street of making false claims about Iraq?
Lord Hutton pointedly refused to comment on whether the pre-war intelligence was accurate. He cleared the Government on the narrow charge that it exaggerated the alleged threat using material that it "knew" to be false. His inquiry heard compelling evidence that key dossier claims were misleading or wrong. By clearing No10 of interference, Lord Hutton's report implied the intelligence services made mistakes.
Who will get the blame if no weapons are found?
Mr Blair appears to be passing the blame downwards to the intelligence services, in particular MI6. In recent weeks he has stressed he was following "the intelligence available at the time", which implies he no longer thinks it was right. President Bush's aides appear to be blaming Britain for raising the importance of the WMD issue in the first place.
