British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's appearance at the Iraq war inquiry will be brought forward to before elections amid growing pressure for him to give evidence, media reported Friday.
The probe into the conflict which started in 2003 with the US-led, British-backed invasion had said it would not call Brown before a general election due by June to prevent party politics affecting the investigation.
But the prime minister has faced growing calls from his political opponents to testify, which intensified this week with accusations Brown — finance minister during the conflict — had starved the military of vital funds.
The BBC and Daily Mirror newspaper both reported Brown would appear before the elections.
British media said Brown could be questioned late next month or early March, which could prove uncomfortable for his governing Labour party which will be on the campaign trail against the opposition Conservatives, tipped to win power.
An inquiry spokesman confirmed its chairman John Chilcot had written to the prime minister Thursday saying the panel would be "happy to offer him the opportunity" to appear before the election.
A government spokesman gave no official confirmation but said: "The prime minister has always offered to give full evidence to the Iraq inquiry and is happy to do so at any time."
Brown has publicly insisted he has "nothing to hide" and Wednesday told lawmakers he had to written to the investigation to stress he was willing to give evidence.
"I am happy to give evidence about all the issues that (John Chilcot) puts forward, and I am happy to satisfy the public of this country about our government's commitment to the security of this country," he said.
Pressure has mounted on the prime minister to testify recently as figures central to Britain's involvement in the war have given evidence that has touched on his role.
Former defence secretary Geoff Hoon told the inquiry this week that as finance minister, Brown failed to fund the forces properly in the years before the conflict and then cut their budget following the invasion.
And Tony Blair's former communications chief Alastair Campbell told the probe last week that Brown was one of the "key ministers" his boss consulted in the run-up to war.
Foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Conservatives, William Hague, praised the decision to call Brown to give evidence.
"It is only right that the prime minister has been called to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry before the general election," he said.
"The inquiry and the British public need to hear the full facts from everyone involved and as (finance minister) at the time he clearly has questions to answer."
The Chilcot inquiry was announced by Gordon Brown in June, honouring a pledge that the run-up to and conduct of the conflict would be examined once British troops pulled out.
Brown's predecessor Blair faced intense public hostility after backing then US president George W. Bush in the invasion and Blair's resulting unpopularity was one of the main reasons which led to him stepping down in 2007.
Blair is due to give evidence at the inquiry next week.
On Thursday, Jack Straw, foreign secretary at the time of the invasion, said he "never wanted" to take military action and only reluctantly came around to the idea.
He said that while he came to believe it was the only option faced with Iraq's continued defiance of the United Nations over its weapons programme, it was "the most difficult decision I have ever faced in my life".
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