I can't accept collective responsibility for the decision to commit Britain now to military action in Iraq without international agreement or domestic support.

Despite efforts made by the medical team to revive Cook in the helicopter he was already beyond recovery and at 4:05pm minutes after arrival at the hospital was pronounced dead. The ethical dimension of his policies was subject to inevitable scrutiny leading to criticism at times. After leaving the Government Cook was a leading analyst of the decision to go to war in Iraq giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee which was later relevant during the Hutton and Butler inquiries.

Robert Finlayson Cook (28 February 1946 – 6 August 2005) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Livingston from 1983 until his death and notably served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001. He resigned from his positions as Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons on 17 March 2003 in protest against the invasion of Iraq.