The Iraq War inquiry was condemned as a whitewash last night after more than 150 crucial messages from Tony Blair to George W Bush were censored.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood has vetoed the release of the letters and phone calls in the run-up to the 2003 conflict, officials revealed. In them, Mr Blair is said to have promised the US President: 'You know, George, whatever you decide to do, I'm with you.'
The decision raises the possibility that the long-delayed findings of the £10million inquiry will be published before the general election. The official reason for the censorship is that publication would deter prime ministers from speaking freely in private.