Angry Blair turns on Iraq accusers

Tony Blair has hit back at opposition claims that he lied over the legal advice on the Iraq war.

Appearing a Labour press conference in London, the prime minister was clearly frustrated by repeated questions on the issue from journalists.

Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have started the final full week of campaigning by attacking Blair over the war, with Michael Howard calling him a liar.

But Blair told journalists that Lord Goldsmith's legal advice "was clear that the war was lawful".

"The attorney general came to Cabinet, he was there, we had a discussion about it. You can go on forever trying to prove there is some conspiracy, some plot. There wasn't, there was a judgement," said Blair.

"The judgement might be right, it might be wrong, I had to take it. I believe I made the right judgement, I believe the world is better with Saddam in prison and not in power.

"There is no point going back over it again and again and again. At some point people are going to have accept that sometimes in politics you get a difficult decision you have to make. When you are sitting in the prime minister's chair you've got to make the decision.

"At the time, unable to get the second resolution, unable to get any resolution with an ultimatum that was going force Saddam to comply, I took the view it was better to remove him.

"That is my responsibility and I have to live with it. But when I look at Iraq today and hear the voices of Iraqi people I find it hard to say it was the wrong decision. All I ask you to do is let those voices speak, let them say the change was a good thing."

War 'lies'

Michael Howard also defended his decision to say Blair had "lied" over Iraq, saying it he was merely recognising the reality.

"I'm afraid I tell it as it is and I tell it as I find it, because this election is about trust," said the Conservative leader.

"This election is about whether the people of our country can continue to trust Mr Blair.

"This is a man who has taken a stand on just one thing in the eight years he's been prime minister, on the war in Iraq, and he hasn't told the truth about that."

Accusation

Asked what he thought of Howard's accusation that he had lied, Blair said the Tories did not wish to focus on the main issues.

"You have to ask yourself why they are now going on a full scale assault on my character," he said.

"Why? Because they haven't got anything to say about the economy, the health service, schools, they haven't even got anything to say on law and order. They can call me what they like, but I think the British people will make up their minds on the issues.

"I have never known a campaign by the Conservative Party that has been so utterly lacking in any vision, in any serious policy in any sense of what they could offer the country for the future."

The prime minister also received backing from Gordon Brown who intervened to insist the decision on the war was made by the Cabinet.

"Let's be clear about this: the decisions on Iraq were Cabinet decisions," the chancellor insisted.