According to the Downing Street Memo, which was released on July 23, 2002: ” ‘It seemed clear that [President] Bush had made up his mind to take military action [against Iraq], even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbors, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. We should work up a plan for an ultimatum to Saddam to allow back in the UN weapons inspectors. This would also help with the legal justification for the use of force… We should work on the assumption that the UK would take part in any military action. But we need a fuller picture of US planning before we could take any firm decisions. [The Chief of the Defence Staff] should tell the US military that we were considering a range of options.’ ”
– Clare Short, An Honourable Deception?, Pages 284-285