Tony Blair misled Parliament over advice he was given over the legality of a war against Iraq, a statement from Lord Goldsmith, the former Attorney General, suggests.
In written evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry into the war, Lord Goldsmith said statements made by the ex-prime minister in the months before the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein were incompatible with the guidance he had given.
On January 14 2003 the Attorney General advised Mr Blair that UN Security Council resolution 1441 was not enough on its own to justify the use of force against Iraq.
But the next day the prime minister told the Commons there were ''circumstances'' in which a second resolution explicitly backing military action was not necessary.