Worse and worse for Tony Blair

Four days until the British election, and things are getting worse and worse for Tony Blair. Earlier in the week he was forced to publish Lord Goldsmith's advice on the legality of going to war with Iraq, which showed that he had systematicly mislead cabinet, Parliament, and his own military. Now, someone has leaked a confidential minute showing that he had his mind set on war from the beginning. Eight months before the war began, he met with his advisors to discuss the military options. He was repeatedly advised against war - his intelligence chief pointed out that the Americans had already made up their minds and that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy", his Foreign Minister warned that the case against Saddam was "thin", and his Attorney General that "the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action". Despite these warnings, Blair had already made up his mind that the UK would participate in military action; the question was on how to sell it. Much of the discussion therefore focused on how to create the conditions to justify an invasion.

One of the key criteria in assessing whether military action is morally justified is whether it is a last resort. This memo clearly shows that was not the case for Iraq; the use of force was premeditated and no consideration was given to how the goal of disarming Saddam could be achieved through peaceful means. In fact, it's clear that the whole issue of Iraqi WMD was created as a pretext to justify the predetermined decision to invade iraq and depose Saddam, and thereby sell the war to a sceptical public.

But that's not the only bad news for Blair today. The Independent has revealed that he was warned in March 2002 that there was no legal justification for invading Iraq. Foreign Office legal advisers insisted that a second resolution would be required explicitly authorising force, and that US claims that resolutions from the 1991 Gulf War could be "revived" were not supported in international law. Blair has claimed repeatedly that the advice he received was "unequivocal" and that there was no "ambiguity". Yet again, he has been shown to be a liar.

And finally, the Observer interviews Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, the former Chief of Defence Staff. Boyce confirms that he was lied to - he was never shown Lord Goldsmith's full legal opinion, and was instead given the shorter version (sans caveats) that was given to Parliament. He also reveals that his motive for seeking legal assurances was to ensure that his political masters would also face prosecution if he did

I wanted to make sure we had this anchor that has been signed by the government law officer to show that at least we were operating under legal advice. It may not stop us from being charged, but, by God, it would make sure other people were brought in the frame as well

When asked whether Tony Blair was one of those "other people", he responded "Too bloody right".

While I have little sympathy for those who claim that they were "only following orders", the fact that Boyce was lied to about the war's legality ought to provide some defence. Any prosecution for the war should focus on the man who ultimately made the decision: Tony Blair.