Fewer than half say Blair was right to invade Iraq

Public support for the war against Iraq has dropped significantly over the past month, according to a newspaper poll published today.

Recent factors, including the on-going clash between the Government and the BBC over two dossiers, and the recent spate of killings of British and American forces in Iraq, are believed to have contributed to the steady decrease in support.

The study revealed that the number of people who regarded military action taken against Iraq as "right" had dropped from 64 per cent in April and 58 per cent in June to 47 per cent this month. The greatest change in opinion was among women and voters over 65, according to the poll, conducted by Populus for The Times.

The poll also found that more than half of the 1,000 adults questioned had lost confidence in the Prime Minister, with 54 per cent agreeing with the phrase: "I wouldn't trust him further than I could throw him."