The Attorney General sits in Cabinet as the chief legal adviser to the government. He also has a role in deciding whether to bring a prosecution in individual cases. The nature of this office has given rise to concerns about the possible impact on the doctrine of separation of powers, as a conflict of interest could arise between the inherent political allegiance of any holder of the office and the wider constitutional obligation to give independent, impartial legal advice to the government. A good example of this was the controversy surrounding the legal advice given to the Blair government by the then Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, in the lead-up to the war in Iraq.