UK’s Blair finally faces reckoning from Iraq war inquiry, seven years and 2.6 million words in the making

Seven years after it began, the official inquiry into Britain’s role in the Iraq war will finally issue its report on Wednesday, with former prime minister Tony Blair expected to face severe criticism.

The Chilcot inquiry was launched in 2009 as British troops withdrew from Iraq, tasked with investigating the run-up to the 2003 US-led invasion and the subsequent occupation.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis died during the conflict and the brutal sectarian war that followed, while 179 British soldiers also lost their lives - many of whose relatives are still searching for answers.

The invasion was controversial at the time as it did not have explicit approval from the UN Security Council, while claims that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction proved unfounded.

Although he stepped down in 2007, Blair remains reviled by much of Britain for the conflict, which is viewed as at best misguided, and as worst a war crime.

A 2004 official report into the intelligence case found he exaggerated the evidence when he presented it to MPs, although author Robin Butler said Monday that Blair “really believed” what he was doing was right.

The Chilcot inquiry was not asked to rule on the legality of the invasion, but leaks suggest Blair will be heavily criticised over the decision-making process.