Soldiers’ families to boycott Chilcot report on Iraq War

‘It will be a whitewash. Tony Blair has got blood on his hands’

The long-awaited Chilcot inquiry report into the Iraq War will be boycotted by relatives of some of the 179 Britons killed in the conflict, who fear it will be a "whitewash".

The two million-word report, six years in the making, will be unveiled by Sir John Chilcot tomorrow.

Tony Blair, prime minister when Britain went to war, has said he will not make any comment until the report is made public.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has indicated the former Labour leader will not be liable for prosecution, reiterating its conclusion 10 years ago the decision to go to war is not within its jurisdiction.

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The court said it will look at the report’s findings before deciding whether there is a “reasonable basis” to begin an investigation.

The Chilcot inquiry was set up in 2009 by then prime minister Gordon Brown after the withdrawal of the main body of British troops that year.

The inquiry examined the lead-up to the 2003 invasion, and the years up to the 2009 withdrawal. The report’s long-awaited publication follows 130 sessions of oral evidence and the testimony of more than 150 witnesses. The inquiry has analysed more than 150,000 government documents as well as other material related to the invasion.

Tragic mess

A number of MPs are expected to try to impeach the former prime minister. Former Scottish first minister

Alex Salmond

said there “has to be a judicial or political reckoning”, while shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the “processes” of how Britain ended up at war must be examined “so we never ever get into this tragic, tragic mess again with such loss of life”.

Some of those whose loved ones died in the war between 2003 and 2009 have expressed fears the report will not give them answers.

Gary Nicholson (42) was one of 10 servicemen who died when their aircraft was shot down in 2005. His mother Julia said: "It will be a whitewash. I'm absolutely disgusted. I'm not going because it will be a whitewash.Tony Blair has got blood on his hands." – ( PA)