Iraq

Blair's memoirs reveal no regrets on Iraq

Tony Blair has said he’s desperately sorry for the loss of lives in Iraq, but insisted he has 'no regrets' about his decision to back the war.

His memoirs - entitled Tony Blair: A Journey - went on sale today. Ahead of the launch, he stressed his decision to donate the proceeds from the book to a veterans' charity is no apology for going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the former Prime Minister urged the international community to hold out in Afghanistan

It was the Iraq war that came to dominate Tony Blair’s premiership, and his memoirs, that took three years to write, reflect that.

After committing troops to Iraq, Mr Blair admits he failed to foresee the “nightmare” that unfolded.

In 2003, millions of people went onto the streets to protest against going to war in Iraq. More recently, some of Mr Blair’s critics have described his decision to give all the proceeds from the book to the Royal British Legion as blood money.

Mr Blair’s battles with Gordon Brown, his fears for the future of the Labour Party and his use of alcohol during his premiership are also laid bare in the book.

It’s predicted the book will become the biggest-selling political memoir ever.

Pictures courtesy of the BBC