Soldiers' families challenge Iraq war legality

Representatives of 17 families lodged papers for the case at the High Court in London. They hope that a hearing, during which they will be seeking a judicial review of the Government's refusal in May to order an inquiry, will be held within six months.

One of the applicants is Reg Keys, father of L/Cpl Thomas Keys, 20, who was killed near Basra in 2003. Mr Keys, from north Wales, said parents would not be taking such action if weapons of mass destruction had been found.

Standing at his side was another applicant, Rose Gentle, from Pollok, Glasgow. Her 19-year-old son, Gordon, was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra last year. Mr Keys said: "We most strongly feel our sons were sent into a conflict not backed by international law or the United Nations. They were sent to war on a falsehood, against a background of propaganda of weapons of mass destruction."

Mrs Gentle said: " We want to get the truth for our boys." Even if the court action was unsuccessful, she vowed to continue her campaign, saying: "My son signed up for the Army to fight for his country but was sent to Iraq on a pack of lies."

The families argue that under human rights laws if the UK state is involved in the use of lethal force there must be an independent inquiry. The court will also be asked to decide the remit of any inquiry.

In a letter to the families, Treasury solicitors said the Government believed military action against Iraq was fully justified and that there was no legal obligation to set up an inquiry.