Straw aide 'quits over war'

A senior adviser to Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, has resigned after an apparent disagreement over the legality of military action in Iraq.

The departure of Elizabeth Wilmhurst, deputy legal officer since 1997 at the Foreign Office, will embarrass the Government, since Tony Blair has repeatedly argued that armed intervention by American and British Forces was justified under international law.

Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, has reassured the Cabinet that legal cover is provided by the UN resolution 1441 passed four months ago. But his interpretation has been disputed by many eminent lawyers.

A Foreign Office spokesman refused last night to discuss the reasons for Ms Wilmhurst's sudden resignation, but strongly denied it had undermined the legal case for war.