Sorry for dossier - Straw

And the Blackburn MP has said the government owed the student an apology for putting his family back home at risk under the Iraqi dictatorship.

Mr Straw was addressing an all-party group of his colleagues at Westminster over claims that Downing Street "sexed up" the evidence that the Baghdad dictator had weapons of mass destruction to persuade Parliament and the public to back the Gulf War.

Tackled by Hyndburn MP Greg Pope on the fact that the information was 12 years old and that it had put Ibrahim al-Mirashi's family in Iraq at risk, Mr Straw admitted a mistake had been made.

Mr Pope asked him: "Do you think there should be an apology?"

Mr Straw replied: "I think more than that. I think an apology is due from the whole government and I am happy to make that today."

He maintained , however, that the accuracy of the dossier was not in question.

Mr Straw comprehensively denied allegations that a first dossier presented to MPs in September claiming that biological and chemical weapons could be fired off within 45 minutes had been transformed by Downing Street before publication.

He said it was completely untrue that the claim had been inserted at the last minute by Downing Street communications and strategy chief Alastair Campbell, for political purposes.

He said that it had only achieved significance since the BBC made the claim and was not part of the "burden" of Prime Minister's Tony Blair's case for action when he addressed the Commons shortly afterwards.

However he did admit that the second dossier - christened the "dodgy dossier" - in February had used research work by Iraqi exile Ibrahim al-Mirashi had been "an embarrassment to the government and lessons had been learned."

After the hearing Mr Pope said: "I thought Jack was absolutely solid. He was very convincing and told the truth.

"The focus now turns to what Alastair Campbell has to say when he comes before us."