Sir John Chilcot has delivered his long-awaited verdict on the 2003 Iraq war – and declared it was “not a last resort” in a damning assessment of the path to military action to topple Saddam Hussein.
As critics and friends begin to digest the detail of the 2.6 million word analysis, here are some of the initial reactions:
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SNP
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was “damning”.
Foreign affairs spokesman Alex Salmond said the “excoriating” verdict of the Chilcot Inquiry should lead to “political or legal consequences” for those responsible, accusing Tony Blair of having “blundered the country into war” at the cost of the lives of 179 British armed forces and almost 200,000 Iraqis.
He said it was clear Mr Blair was personally to blame for an unnecessary conflict and closer examination of the report “will only implicate further a former prime minister who recklessly committed the country to war without collective judgement, and personally failed to ensure there was a plan for delivering a future for the people of Iraq”.
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Tony Blair
A defiant Mr Blair insisted he took the decision to go to war “in good faith” and told critics the Chilcot report should “lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies or deceit”.
He said he would “take full responsibility for any mistakes without exception or excuse” but stood by his insistence that removing Saddam had been right and had not increased the global threat from terrorism.
The former prime minister said he accepted some of the “serious criticisms” in the report and would set out the “lessons I believe future leaders can learn from my experience.”
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Stop the War Coalition
Convenor Lindsey German said the “damning indictment” vindicated its long campaign and should lead to legal sanctions against Mr Blair who should “no longer be considered fit for any office”.
It was “clear that he used lies and deception to get his way, that the war was unnecessary and illegal and that everything was done to ensure it went ahead” at the expense of the lives of British troops and ordinary Iraqis.
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CND
General secretary Kate Hudson said it showed Tony Blair “had no respect for cabinet procedure, no respect for Parliament, and no respect for international law”.
“Chilcot reveals the evidence that must now be used to bring Tony Blair to justice. This is our demand.
“Only when justice is served can we prevent disasters like the Iraq war ever happening again.”
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Sarah O’Connor
– whose brother Sergeant Bob O’Connor was killed in action when his Hercules plane was shot down in 2005
“There is one terrorist in this world that the world needs to be aware of and his name is Tony Blair. The world’s worst terrorist.”
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Tory MP James Heappey
– who served in the conflict with The Rifles
So why was I really in Basra? #ChilcotReport