The Iraq Inquiry report, external spans almost a decade of UK government policy decisions between 2001 and 2009.

It was written by Sir John Chilcot and published on 6 July and covered;

• the background to the decision to go to war
• whether troops were properly prepared
• how the conflict was conducted 
• and what planning there was for its aftermath, a period in which there was intense sectarian violence.

The conflict resulted in the deaths of 179 UK servicemen, 19 of whom came from Scotland.

Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon was the youngest to be killed in the war, said she wanted to meet Tony Blair.

He was the UK prime minister at the time of the conflict in 2003.

Sir John has spoken, so too has Mr Blair. Politicians and bereaved relatives of servicemen have also commented in light of the report.   

There's continuing live coverage of reaction to Chilcot on the BBC News website.

The letters released include one about "brilliant speech" which showed the US president had the right strategy to "get the job done".

Image source, Reuters

Tony Blair has said that he takes "full responsibility" for the decisions that led to the UK's involvement in the 2003 Iraq War.

The former prime minister was giving his reaction the the publication of the long-awaited Chilcot report. 

The former prime minister acknowledged that groups like the so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda thrived in areas of the world that had become ungovernable.

However, he said that while Sir John Chilcot had written the report, it was not he who had been in the position to make the decision about the invasion.

The former prime minister was asked if his assertion that he offered his support to the Americans "whatever" meant he gave them a black cheque for invasion.

Mr Blair insisted he told the Americans that he was with them but that they needed to pursue redress in the UN.

Brian Taylor
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Sir John Chilcot's compendious and coruscating report into the Iraq War and its aftermath has, inevitably, generated further questions. Could/should the conflict have been prevented? What went wrong with equipping the troops? Why was aftermath planning, according to Sir John, so limited? And more. 

Lessons have been identified - but will they be learned? Will the culture of the British state, military and civilian, regenerate fully? 

David Cameron reckons the answer to both questions is yes. And more. Will there now be action taken against any individual identified in the report? Against Tony Blair?

 The lawyer for families who lost loved ones in the conflict says legal action is possible but will require further, detailed consideration. 

Alex Salmond says Tony Blair is responsible - and political and legal consequences must now be contemplated.

Read more from Brian Taylor

Mr Blair says: "Suppose he [Saddam] remained in power, is it likely he would be in power in 2011 at the time of the Arab state uprising? Is it likely that Iraq would have joined the Arab spring and is it likely if the Iraqi people had revolted and there had been an uprising Saddam would have reacted like Assad in Syria?"

The former politician says that all of those question would be "affirmative."

Among many documents made public as a result of the Chilcot inquiry is a memo from December 2001 in which Tony Blair considers the possibility of military action.

Mr Blair gets into the legal question, he says if the "politics is in question, the legalities are also".

He speaks of the role of the Attorney General, the Cabinet and parliament. Mr Blair adds that he "accepts, of course, it is better politically if the Security Council of the UN" makes the key decisions, but those conditions and the basis for agreement were not there. 

Willie Rennie said the Chilcot report showed the "utter failure" of Tony Blair's government in decision-making, preparation and execution of the Iraq war.

He added: "This thorough report shines a bright light on this dark period of our country's impact on the world."

He also paid tribute to former UK Liberal Democrat leader, the late Charles Kennedy, who had spoken up against the invasion in 2003.

Mr Blair defends the alliance the UK has with the US. he says the partnership has worked in many cases before. "People can disagree with that, but I believed it as PM," the former Labour leader adds.

He moves on to Weapons of Mass Destruction and points to "authoritative" reports that did, in the early 2000s, indicate Iraq having such a dangerous arsenal.

Tony Blair talks about an "impasse" with the United Nations on agreeing a new resolution to challenge the Iraqi regime. He details dates and explains his thinking in the build up to March 2003, the start of the invasion.

Tony Blair urges the audience before him: "Put yourself in my shoes as PM, back then in 2001 you see the intelligence on WMD, you see the changed context of mass casualties of terrorism, you consider the possibility of 9/11 here and your prime responsibility as PM is to protect your country."