Parliament attacks Blair over Iraq intelligence

In a hard-hitting annual report, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) censured Downing Street for publishing a dossier on Iraq's weapons in which security information was combined with a student's thesis that was taken from the internet.

At the same time, there was strong personal criticism of Tony Blair for failing to hold a meeting of a cabinet committee set up to combat terrorism.

The report portrays a government willing to spice official intelligence with uncorroborated material, while ministers remain badly informed and "not sufficiently engaged" in the fight against groups such as al-Qa'ida. It maintains that senior ministers did not read all the espionage material available to them, including vital intelligence in tackling weapons of mass destruction.