THE Prime Minister yesterday provoked fresh controversy over the war with a "special Iraq Honours list".
Tony Blair's plans to reward civil servants for their work are revealed in a Whitehall memo leaked to a Sunday newspaper.
Officials who worked on the flawed weapons dossier could be in line for awards, it was reported.
The Prime Minister believes about 50 non-military officials should be given knighthoods, OBEs, MBEs and other awards, according to the memo.
The names are expected to be announced in the New Year honours list after being decided by a Whitehall committee.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "While there may be worthy folk who have done work in Iraq, the idea of rewarding civil servants for a policy that has failed on this scale is hard to understand."
The plan was completely at odds with recommendations by the Commons Public Administration Select Committee earlier this year, he said.
A Downing Street spokes-man said: "We don't comment on leaks. But this is primarily about recognising the sacrifice of people who have worked at the sharp end in Iraq.
"The Prime Minister has made clear these are exceptional circumstances and it is important that this is recognised in some form."
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