The Foreign Office’s top official warned Downing Street that the Iraq war was fuelling Muslim extremism in Britain a year before the 7 July bombings, The Observer has revealed. Despite repeated denials by Number 10 that the war made Britain a target for terrorists, a letter from Michael Jay, the Foreign Office permanent under-secretary, to the cabinet secretary, Sir Andrew Turnbull makes the connection clear. The letter, dated 18 May 2004, says British foreign policy was a “recurring theme” in the Muslim community, “especially in the context of the Middle East peace process and Iraq”.

Observer, 28 August 2005