Blair 'double-crossed by Bush aides over Iraq'

Tony Blair was “double-crossed” by US President George Bush’s aides in the run-up to the Iraq war, the former diplomat at the centre of the political crisis engulfing the White House argued today.

Joe Wilson, whose wife Valerie Plame was allegedly “outed” as an undercover CIA agent by senior administration figures in retaliation for his criticisms of the case which the White House made for the war, made the claim in an interview for the BBC.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Wilson said: “I watched the way that the British built their case, and it was a disarmament case as best I could see it.

“Mr Blair came to the US when Mr Bush was talking about regime change, and when he left Mr Bush started talking about disarmament as the objective.

“Mr Bush went to the United Nations, I think that that had a lot to do with the influence of the British. I think that Mr Blair really thought that he was getting involved in a disarmament campaign, which was all to the good – I fully supported that.

“I think at the end of the day he was doubled-crossed by the regime change crowd in Washington.”