Small admission leaves big worries

The Prime Minister's long-awaited appearance was not, in truth, as dramatic or a revelatory as that of his predecessor, but that was only to be expected, as it was Mr Blair who led the country into war, not his then chancellor.

As to what we learned, it is deeply troubling that Mr Brown was kept in the dark over key developments in the run-up to the invasion, including being unaware that the attorney general wavered on a decision to give the war legal backing.

Although it is right that the prime minister and foreign secretary take the lead on matters of war, it is surely important for good government that the chancellor is kept fully informed.

On whether he provided funds for the operation, Mr Brown maintained he had he never turned down a request put to him by the armed services, though that begs the question of whether all of the demands were passed to him.

Backing Mr Blair's conduct of the war, Mr Brown's only regret was over failures to plan properly for the aftermath of the invasion. So, after his day in "court", Mr Brown has said little that will affect the election. Voters knew he backed the war and it will be one, but just one, of the many issues on which he is judged.