Blair forms his eve of battle War Cabinet

Tony Blair called together his most senior cabinet ministers yesterday morning to prepare the ground for military action in Iraq.

John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, and Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary had talks with Mr Blair at Downing Street several hours before an emergency meeting of the full Cabinet.

This small group will form the nucleus of the Prime Minister's War Cabinet. Other permanent members will be David Blunkett, the Home Secretary and Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, who will usually be accompanied by Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, the Chief of the Defence Staff. John Reid, the Labour Party chairman, will also join the War Cabinet, which is likely to meet daily after war begins. Mr Reid will communicate the Government's message to the public and try to allay fears inside the Labour Party.

Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, will join the group if she decides to stay in the Cabinet. Although she quit the Labour front bench in protest at its support for the 1991 Gulf War, Ms Short was a member of the War Cabinet set up to co-ordinate military action in Afghanistan after the 11 September terrorist attacks.

Downing Street officials hope Ms Short will play a key role in the rebuilding of Iraq after a war and the humanitarian relief effort.