323 seek seats for Gordon Brown's Iraq inquiry appearance

More than 300 people applied for public seats for Gordon Brown's appearance next month before the Iraq Inquiry, it was disclosed today.

Announcing the outcome of the public ballot for places at the hearing on March 5, the inquiry said it had received a total of 323 valid entries, compared with the 3,041 entries for Tony Blair's appearance in January.

Only one family who lost a loved one in the conflict applied this time and was automatically awarded places in the hearing room.

The remainder of the 60 seats were allocated to members of the public who entered the ballot, with separate draws for the morning and afternoon evidence sessions providing a total of 120 places.

Additional seats have been allocated for those who want them in a separate viewing room at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre at Westminster where the hearings are taking place.

In all, 243 people will be eligible to attend the venue on the day. Successful applicants will be notified in the next few days.