DURING 1988-1990, as a foreign office minister Mr Waldegrave was responsible for the government's relations with Iraq and liaising with MI6 over security issues.
He approved secret changes in export guidelines and allowed Matrix Churchill to export machine tools to Iraq despite being informed by MI6 reports that they were going to be used to make arms.
Defending his actions, Mr Waldegrave told Sir Richard Scott that the government's export policy had not changed. He had merely interpreted the existing guidelines.