DAVID Cameron has raised the prospect of calling time on the protracted £10 million Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War after warning that he was "fast losing patience" with it.

 

But the SNP has insisted abandoning the investigation after so long would be "totally unacceptable" and called for the report to be published as a matter of urgency and branded the continuing delays "a democratic outrage".

The investigation led by the former Whitehall mandarin began in July 2009 but the latest suggestion is that it might take another year to report.

The nub of the delay is thought to be so-called Maxwellisation, whereby someone criticised in the report has a right of reply before publication. But this process can lead to a seemingly never-ending exchange of views.

The issue was raised at Prime Minister's Questions by Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, who argued Ministers had a "moral or political responsibility" to find out why the report kept being delayed.

George Osborne, standing in for David Cameron while the Prime Minister was on a European visit, called on those involved in the inquiry to "get on with it" and publish the report.

The Chancellor told Mr Robertson: "The Chilcot Inquiry is, of course, completely independent of Government and we do not determine when it publishes its conclusions.

"But where I agree with you is this; it has been a long time coming and people are running out of patience, they want to see that report."

Mr Robertson told MPs it was "worth remembering that the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Prime Minister both voted for the war that we were led into by the then Labour government".

He asked Mr Osborne: "Do you feel that you have no moral or political responsibility to get to the bottom of the reasons why we went into this catastrophic war in the first place? And what are you going to do about it?"

Mr Osborne insisted that that responsibility was fulfilled when MPs voted to create the Chilcot inquiry.

"We want to see the results of that independent inquiry. Those involved in Chilcot will have heard the view of the House of Commons today and indeed public concern about how long this inquiry is taking.

"But ultimately it is an independent inquiry, if it wasn't an independent inquiry, people would question its motives and the basis upon which it had been set up. It is independent but it should get on with it," added the Chancellor.

In an exchange of letters, Sir John Chilcot told the Prime Minister that responses submitted by individuals mentioned in the report had "opened up new issues" and referred to "material that was not part of the evidence submitted to the inquiry".

He revealed other people had still yet to reply to the inquiry, which suggests the investigation still has some time to run yet.

"It is now essential that all remaining responses are received so that the process can be completed," wrote Sir John. "Only when all responses are in our possession and have been evaluated will I be able to write to you with a realistic timetable for completion," he added.

But Mr Cameron expressed "disappointment" and said the public and those who had lost loved ones were "awaiting the results of your work".

He added: "They, and I, had hoped for publication of your report by now and we are fast losing patience."

Acknowledging Mr Cameron's frustration with the slow progress, Sir John wrote: "I and my colleagues understand your concern that it has not been possible to publish our conclusions before now.

"I am sure you will also share my desire to ensure that those conclusions - covering a period of nine years - hold firm once published."

Following PMQs, Mr Robertson said: "The Iraq war was a foreign policy disaster and the ramifications are still being felt today...This inquiry needs to be published in full and as a matter of urgency. Abandoning it would be wholly unacceptable.

"Answers are long overdue and the continued delays to the publication of this report are a democratic outrage," added the MP for Moray.