Chilcot report: Senior Labour figure suggests Tony Blair should be prosecuted for Iraq War

'It wasn't just Tony Blair, it was most of the Labour backbenchers, it was all of the Tory backbenchers - except half a dozen'

A senior Labour figure has said "serious consideration" should be given to prosecuting Tony Blair for his role in the Iraq War.

Paul Flynn, who was appointed Shadow Commons Leader, told the BBC's Daily Politics programme: "I think really there should be serious consideration to him being prosecuted for this but I think this remains to be seen."

Mr Flynn, who was also appointed Shadow Welsh Secretary, added: "I think that the important issue here is that it is not just one individual," he added.

"Parliament's on trial. It wasn't just Tony Blair, it was most of the Labour backbenchers, it was all of the Tory backbenchers - except half a dozen."

Sir John Chilcot's report into the Iraq War found Mr Blair had convinced himself the country possessed weapons of mass destruction, even though secret intelligence reports he had been shown "did not justify" his certainty.

While Sir John did not use the word "lie" during his summary of the report, his conclusion is that the former Prime Minister deliberately blurred the distinction between what he believed and what he knew.

Mr Blair claimed the 12 volume report proved that, at worst, he had made an honest mistake. In a statement, he said: “The report should lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies or deceit.

"Whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein; I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country.”

Jeremy Corbyn said the war was an "act of military aggression, launched on a false pretext", but refrained from calling for legal consequences for Mr Blair.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the Labour leader said: “The invasion and occupation of Iraq has been, by any measure, a catastrophe.”