![]() ![]() ![]() Speaking to ITV, Starmer said he understood many held "strong views" about the Iraq war, but said that this did "not detract from the fact that Tony Blair was a very successful prime minister of this country and made a huge difference to the lives of millions of people in this country.”īut for Iraqis, and many others across the globe, the 2003 invasion has come to be seen as an outrage. On Tuesday, Blair's successor as Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, said that the former prime minister "deserves" to be knighted and cited a number of domestic reforms he introduced during his time in office, 1997-2007. "It's horrendous news to be honest," he said. The actions of British forces in Basra have repeatedly come in for criticism with claims of willful killings, detainee abuse, and what the International Criminal Court has deemed "credible allegations of torture and rape".Īpart from the initial violence, many have argued that the subsequent chaos provoked by the invasion led to the rise of the Islamic State group, who capture vast swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and have launched terror attacks around the world that have led to thousands of deaths.Īli al-Baroodi, a teacher and campaigner in the former IS stronghold of Mosul - which was obliterated in 2017 in a foreign-backed campaign to defeat the militant group - told MEE that honouring Blair was "disgusting" referring to him as "B-Liar" as many anti-war campaigners have done. Sakini, whose Sairoun party won the largest number of seats in Iraq's parliamentary elections last October, said giving Blair the title was effectively " honouring the violation" that was the Iraq war. Sir Tony, who left Downing Street more than 14 years ago, is one of three new appointments that were announced by the palace.Īppointments to the Garter are in the Queen’s gift and made without prime ministerial advice, and are usually announced on St George’s Day, April 23, but she can do so at any time, and chose this one to coincide with the New Year Honours.įor more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea."Especially for Tony Blair, who participated in the occupation of Iraq and was a major reason for wasting the resources of this country." His former defence secretary Geoff Hoon wrote in his recent memoir that his office was ordered by Downing Street to burn a secret memo saying the 2003 Iraq invasion could be illegal, according to the Daily Mail. The knighthood has provoked debate about the honours system, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying Boris Johnson has not “earned the right” of a knighthood after leaving office.īut Sir Keir insisted his predecessor at the top of the Labour Party had earned his knighthood, arguing he “made Britain a better country”. However, the petition was rejected on the UK Government and Parliament petition site, as they "can't accept petitions that relate to honours and appointments, which includes calling for an honour to be removed". ![]() Demonstrators in 2010 protest in London as Tony Blair was due to give evidence at the Iraq war inquiry (Image: PA) ![]()
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