Mr Blair explains that the attack on the Twin Towers building in New York in 2001 created conditions which led to the Iraq war two years later.

He told the new conference "we were in a new world".

Former Labour PM Mr Blair believes that if Saddam had remained in power he would have "threatened world peace". He also believes that those who fought in the war did not "die in vain". 

Former British PM Tony Blair has said he accepted "full responsibility" for the decisions made about going to war in Iraq in 2003. He added that he understood the grief related to the civilians who had died in Iraq and the 179 British servicemen - 19 from Scotland - who were also killed. 

Lord Foulkes insisted the Chilcot findings lay to rest many of the accusations made against the Blair government over Iraq.

He said: "There are lessons to be learned from it.

"But it was clear that some of the more outrageous attacks and criticisms of Tony Blair, that there was a secret agreement with Bush, and that the war was illegal are not borne out by Chilcot."

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, who as George Foulkes MP voted in favour of the Iraq invasion, has been defending Tony Blair and his government. 

Image source, bbc

He said: "I think it was the right thing to do given the information we had at the time.

"Just as we intervened in Kosovo to protect the Kosovans. Just as we intervened in Sierra Leone to protect people in Sierra Leone.

"It seemed the right thing to do at the time."

Tim Farron said his predecessor deserved an apology in the wake of the Chilcot report.

He said Sir John's findings "utterly vindicated" Mr Kennedy, who was accused of taking an "opportunistic" approach in his opposition to the 2003 invasion.

Mr Farron said: "My overriding impression is Charles Kennedy utterly vindicated. Those who attacked him at the time and his family and indeed our country, [own him] an apology."

Nineteen Scottish servicemen died during the campaign that the UK’s decision to join the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The long-awaited Chilcot Report found that there had been no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein before the war and that the circumstances, for the UK's military involvement, were far from satisfactory.

The mother of a soldier killed in the Iraq War says she holds Tony Blair responsible for the murder of her son.   

Fusilier Gordon Gentle was one of 19 UK servicemen killed in the campaign following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.The long-awaited Chilcot Report found that there had been no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein before the war and that the circumstances, for the UK's military involvement, were far from satisfactory.  

House of Commons
Parliament

The SNP leader at Westminster said mistakes continued to be made.

He asked David Cameron during Prime Minister's Questions: "The Chilcot report catalogues the failures in planning for post-conflict Iraq and concludes that 'the UK did not achieve its objectives'. That lack of planning has also been evident in relation to Afghanistan, to Libya, to Syria and most recently with no plan whatsoever for Brexit, When will the UK government actually start learning from the mistakes of the past so that we're not condemned to repeat them in the future?

Mr Cameron acknowledged the findings of Chilcot but questioned whether it was ever possible to achieve a "perfect" outcome.

He said: "There is actually no set of arrangements and plans that can provide perfection in these cases. Military intervention - wee can argue if it is ever justified - I believe it is. Military intervention is always difficult, planning for the aftermath of military intervention, that is always difficult and I don't think in this house we should be naive in any way that a perfect set of plans or a perfect set of arrangements can solve these problems in perpetuate, there aren't."

The co-convener of the Scottish Greens said the 100,000 people who marched in Glasgow in 2003 against the war had been proven correct.

He added: "Today's report is a damning indictment of Tony Blair and his blinkered, sickening devotion to George Bush's warmongering.

"Chilcot makes clear that peaceful options had not been exhausted, the legal basis for invasion was not satisfactory, the intelligence was flawed and that the risks of unleashing terrorism were clear before the invasion took place."

Rose Gentle's son Gordon, who was from Glasgow - was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Basra in 2004.

She said that given the chance, she would look Tony Blair in the eye and ask him why he had sent her son to his death.

"Years ago we did ask to meet him and he walked away, so this is his opportunity to come and speak to the families now."

She added: "We've proved him wrong because everything that we've said from the start has actually came out today, and I think he thought 'they're going to give up and walk away."

Asked what she would say to the former prime minister, Ms Gentle said: "Why did you kill my son, send my son to be killed? Because I hold him responsible for the murder of my son."

Rose Gentle's son Gordon, who was from Glasgow - was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Basra in 2004.