§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government were first consulted on the timing of the allied attack on Iraq.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggMy right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was in regular consultation with President Bush about the possibility of needing to use force if Iraq did not withdraw from Kuwait at the end of the deadline. He discussed with President Bush the precise timing of the attack very shortly after the conclusion of the debate in the House on 15 January.