Chilcot report condemns Tony Blair's Iraq war blunder

London

THE long awaited 2.6 million word, 12 volume, Chilcot report has issued a damning verdict on Tony Blair's Iraq war blunder.

The devastating critique of the former UK premier's decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003 concluded that Britain chose to join the invasion with the US before peaceful options for disarming Saddam Hussein, had been exhausted.

The report suggests that Mr Blair's Labour government failed, the intelligence community failed and the military failed. In particular Mr Blair ran his government in a way that meant the possible and probable consequences of military action in Iraq were never properly considered.

In a statement Mr Blair claimed that "the re…