Blair could be sued for Iraq War

The families of soldiers killed in Iraq have vowed to sue Tony Blair for “every penny”. The former prime minister could face a civil lawsuit over allegations the abused his power to take the country to war following the publication of the Chilcot report on Wednesday.

Sir John Chilcot concluded that Blair had overstated the case for military action in March 2003 as there was “no imminent threat” posed by Saddam Hussein and it was not the “last resort”.

He also said the planning for the post-war clean up was “inadequate” and said there was not strong enough evidence to suggest Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

He stopped short of declaring the war illegal but a source close to the families told the Daily Telegraph said the report provided legal grounds for the lawsuit.

The source said: “It gives us a lot of threads to pursue and those threads make a powerful rope to catch him”.

They said the lawyers would have to show Blair had “acted in excess of his powers” and in doing so “harm has been caused and that the harm could have been predicted” to win.

The families of 29 soldiers are said to have employed the services of the McCue and Partners law firm with others expected to follow.

A total of 179 British servicemen and women died while fighting in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already said it will not pursue war crimes charges against Blair because prosecuting “wars of aggression” was beyond their remit in 2003 - despite the urging of the soldiers' families.

At a press conference following the publication Sarah O'Connor, whose brother Sergeant Bob O'Connor was killed in Iraq in 2005, called Blair “the world's worst terrorist”.

Blair defended himself from criticism during a two-hour press conference on Wednesday saying the report showed he hadn't lied, hadn't used intelligence improperly and denied that telling Former US president George W Bush he was “with him, whatever” was a secret commitment to war at any costs.

George W Bush reiterated his belief Wednesday that the world is "better off" without Saddam Hussein.

Bliar was at the center of the detailed inquiry that probed Britain's role in the US-led war that killed hundreds of thousands and helped to make the whole region a battlefield.