Summary

  • UK went to war before peaceful options exhausted and military action was "not last resort", Chilcot report says

  • Invasion in 2003 was based on “flawed intelligence and assessments” that went unchallenged

  • Threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were "presented with certainty that was not justified"

  • Former PM Tony Blair says decision for action made "in good faith" and he takes "full responsibility for any mistakes"

  • Families of Britons killed during Iraq War say conflict was "a fiasco" and do not rule out legal action

  • PM David Cameron says "lessons must be learned" and announces two-day Commons debate next week

  • Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says war was "act of military aggression launched on a false pretence"

Live Reporting

Mario Cacciottolo, Emma Atkinson, Alex Kleiderman and Lauren Turner

  1. 'Catastrophic decision'

    More from Lib Dem leader Tim Farron's reaction to the Chilcot report:

    Far from being Bush's passenger, Blair was his co-pilot in taking this catastrophic decision which has destabilised Iraq, provided the hotbed for Daesh and tarnished Britain's reputation around the world."

  2. Blair 'fixated... in going to war' says Tim Farron

    Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron says:

    Blair was fixated in joining Bush in going to war in Iraq regardless of the evidence, the legality or the serious potential consequences. Daesh [so-called Islamic State] has arisen from the complete absence of any post conflict planning by the government.

    Charles Kennedy's judgement has been vindicated in every respect. I hope those in the Labour and Conservative parties who were so forceful in their criticism of him and the Liberal Democrats at the time are equally forceful in their acknowledgements today that he was right."

  3. Iraq Inquiry report published on the internet

    Sir John Chilcot's report on the Iraq War can now be accessed on the inquiry committee's website.

  5. 'I will be with you, whatever'

    Quote from Tony Blair - 'I will be with you, whatever'

  6. 'No imminent threat from Saddam Hussein'

    Sir John Chilcot has made clear that the UK did not face an "imminent threat" from Iraq. 

    Military action in Iraq might have been necessary at some point. But in March 2003 there was no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein, the strategy of containment could have been adapted and continued for some time, the majority of the Security Council supported continuing UN inspections and monitoring."

  7. 'Humiliating' UK negotiation with Iraqi milita

    Sir John has spoken of how the UK's armed forces had to negotiate with Iraqi militia:

    By 2007 militia dominance in Basra, which UK military commanders were unable to challenge, led to the UK exchanging detainee releases for an end to the targeting of its forces.

    It was humiliating that the UK reached a position in which an agreement with a militia group which had been actively targeting UK forces was considered the best option available. The UK military role in Iraq ended a very long way from success."

  8. MoD 'slow to respond to IED threat'

    The Ministry of Defence is criticised by Sir John over its response to the threat of IEDs: 

    We have found that the Ministry of Defence was slow in responding to the threat from Improvised Explosive Devices and that delays in providing adequate medium weight protected patrol vehicles should not have been tolerated. It was not clear which person or department within the Ministry of Defence was responsible for identifying and articulating such capability gaps. But it should have been."

  9. 'Deep anguish' and suffering

    The soldiers killed in Iraq and the many civilians who have suffered are acknowledged by Sir John Chilcot. 

    More than 200 British citizens died as a result of the conflict in Iraq, Many more were injured. This has meant deep anguish for many families, including those who are here today.

    The invasion and subsequent instability in Iraq had, by July 2009, also resulted in the deaths of at least 150,000 Iraqis - and probably many more - most of them civilians. More than a million people were displaced. The people of Iraq have suffered greatly."

  10. 'Failures' in planning and preparation

    Sir John Chilcot has more on the "inadequacy" of the invasion plans.

    Ministers were aware of the inadequacy of US plans, and concerned about the inability to exert significant influence on US planning. Mr Blair eventually succeeded only in the narrow goal of securing President Bush's agreement that there should be UN authorisation of the post-conflict role.

    Furthermore, he did not establish clear ministerial oversight of UK planning and preparation. He did not ensure that there was a flexible, realistic and fully resourced plan that integrated UK military and civilian contributions, and addressed the known risks.

    The failures in the planning and preparations continued to have an effect after the invasion."

  11. Risks 'explicitly identified before the invasion'

    Sir John criticises the pre-invasion planning:  

    Mr Blair told the Inquiry that the difficulties encountered in Iraq after the invasion could not have been known in advance. We do not agree that hindsight is required. The risks of internal strife in Iraq, active Iranian pursuit of its interests, regional instability, and Al Qaeda activity in Iraq, were each explicitly identified before the invasion."

  12. Opening statement by Sir John Chilcot

    Iraq Inquiry: 'Peaceful options not exhausted' - Sir John Chilcot

  13. Policy on Iraq made on 'flawed intelligence'

    Sir John assesses the quality of the intelligence given to the UK government ahead of the Iraq invasion:

    It is now clear that policy on Iraq was made on the basis of flawed intelligence and assessments. They were not challenged, and they should have been.

  14. Warnings for Blair over invasion consequences

    Sir John Chilcot has spoken about warnings given to then prime minister Tony Blair ahead of the Iraq invasion:

    Mr Blair had been warned, however, that military action would increase the threat from Al Qaeda to the UK and to UK interests. He had also been warned that an invasion might lead to Iraq's weapons and capabilities being transferred into the hands of terrorists."

  15. WMDs 'not established beyond doubt'

    Sir John Chilcot

    Sir John says: "The Joint Intelligence Committee should have made clear to Mr Blair that the assessed intelligence had not established 'beyond doubt' either that Iraq had continued to produce chemical and biological weapons or that efforts to develop nuclear weapons continued."

  16. Stop The War protest

    A leader of the Stop The War coalition has told protesters they should not accept the Chilcot report unless it includes the explicit conclusion that former prime minister Tony Blair lied about the need for the Iraq War. About 200 protesters are outside the QE2 where they have been reading the names of dead civilians and servicemen.

  17. Chilcot report: Findings at a glance

    Sir John ChilcotPA

    An at-a-glance summary of the findings of Sir John Chilcot's official report on the UK's involvement in the 2003 Iraq War.

  18. Legal basis for UK military action 'far from satisfactory'

    The legal basis for war has been reviewed by Sir John Chilcot:

    We have, however, concluded that the circumstances in which it was decided that there was a legal basis for UK military action were far from satisfactory."

  19. 'Severity of threat posed by WMDs... not justified'

    Sir John Chilcot also says: 

    The judgements about the severity of the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction - WMD - were presented with a certainty that was not justified."

    Despite explicit warnings, the consequences of the invasion were underestimated. The planning and preparations for Iraq after Saddam Hussein were wholly inadequate.

    The government failed to achieve its stated objectives."

  20. Protest outside Queen Elizabeth II centre

    There is a noisy protest taking place outside the Queen Elizabeth II centre, by anti-war protesters.