No 'dodgy dossiers' when I'm in charge, says Brown

His announcement, on a surprise visit to Baghdad, will be seen as an effort to draw a line under the "dodgy dossier" scandal which has dogged Tony Blair.

The dossier, which helped convince many MPs of the case for war, contained the nowdiscredited claim that Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons which could be deployed within 45 minutes.

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Mr Brown revealed he had appointed Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell to ensure that in future all intelligence material which will be made public has been properly validated.

But he gave no hints of a speeded-up timescale for the withdrawal of the 5,500 British troops who remain in Iraq.

And Mr Brown pointedly refused to backtrack on his support for the original decision to go to war. But in what was seen in Westminster as a sideswipe at the way Mr Blair made the case for the conflict, he said: "We have lessons to be learned for the future.

"I have already said Parliament should have a more formal role in issues of war and peace but I think we can go further and learn from what's happened over the last few years.

"I would like to see all security and intelligence analysis independent of the political process and I have asked the Cabinet Secretary to do that."

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Mr Brown had a reminder of the dangers of daily life in Baghdad as nine mortar shells landed inside the 'Green Zone' as he left the city.

Strict security had surrounded the Chancellor's arrival and reporters had been banned from disclosing details of his visit in advance.

Mortars also slammed into Baghdad and the southern city of Basra during a visit by Mr Blair last month, landing between 60 and 100 yards from where the Prime Minister was holding meetings.

When Mr Brown finally enters Number Ten in just over a fortnight's time, he is expected to enshrine the right of MPs to vote on any decision to go to war - except in the most exceptional of circumstances.

He also wants an expanded role for the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee, which oversees the work of the intelligence services but is widely seen as toothless.

Mr Brown said he was convinced Mr Blair had acted in "good faith" over Iraq, but added: "Mistakes were made. I think it's important to learn the lessons to look forward now.

"I think we can do more to reassure people both about the information and the use of the information."

The controversy over the use of intelligence to justify the Iraq conflict has cast a long shadow over Mr Blair's premiership.

Spy chief Sir John Scarlett compiled the Government's notorious dossier which made "45 minutes" claim.

Lord Hutton's inquiry found that Sir John could have been "subconsciously influenced" by political pressure while drawing up the report.

The probe was set up after Dr David Kelly, a Government adviser on Iraqi arms, committed suicide after being outed as the "mole" behind BBC reports that Number Ten had manipulated intelligence on the threat from Saddam.

As well as promising an end to intelligence "spin", Mr Brown yesterday gave a hint that he will focus more on winning the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis by giving them a greater stake in the economic future of the country.

But the Chancellor looks set to disappoint some Labour MPs who want him to make a dramatic break with Mr Blair's Iraq policy as soon as he enters Number Ten.

"This is not the right time to talk about (troop) numbers," he insisted. "I don't want to get into talking about timetables or numbers." Britons raced to rescue trapped victims after a suicide bomb destroyed an Iraqi bridge yesterday, killing three American troops.

With a thunderous rumble and cloud of dust and smoke, a car bomb brought down a section of the road bridge south of Baghdad.

A convey of men, some British, from the private security firm Armor Group International were passing. They worked for some 45 minutes to pull trapped men from the rubble.