The prime minister who took Britain into Iraq defends his record

TONY BLAIR arrived early to give his much-anticipated evidence to Britain’s Iraq inquiry on Friday January 29th, avoiding the small band of protesters who braved the drizzle outside, waving placards proclaiming “Jail Tony” and the now-traditional “Bliar”. The relatives of British servicemen killed in Iraq who had been allocated seats at the hearing were mostly respectful. And Mr Blair was rarely discomforted during six hours of questioning from the panel, chaired by Sir John Chilcot—even if he was not always entirely convincing.

In recent weeks, questioning other ministers who were involved in Iraq policy in 2002-03 (it has become clear that not very many of them really were), Sir John and his colleagues have become increasingly aggressive. But over what, in Britain, is the most controversial aspect of the build-up to the invasion of March 2003—the case Mr Blair’s government mounted over Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD)—Mr Blair got a soft ride. …