Blair may be key witness as probe into Iraq war begins

TONY Blair will be called to give evidence to the Iraq war inquiry, its chairman confirmed yesterday.

John Chilcot warned that his team would “not shy away from making criticism” if they uncovered mistakes.

Launching the long-awaited inquiry, Chilcot said the former prime minister, who sent British forces into the conflict alongside the US, would be among witnesses called.

He repeated his insistence that, “wherever possible”, evidence would be heard in public, perhaps live on television, but some sessions would remain behind closed doors, “consistent with the need to protect national security, sometimes to ensure complete candour and openness from witnesses”.

He said the panel had already requested Government documents to begin the task of identifying “the critical issues on which to focus” with the help of legal, military and reconstruction experts.

The confirmation came on the same day that Iraqi police said 12 people were killed by bombings in northern and western Iraq, including seven in a building used by a Sunni-backed political group in Diyala province.