Blair defends Iraq war decision in debate

Opening a debate on the Butler report, the prime minister acknowledged gaps in intelligence but said people should not think Saddam Hussein posed no threat.

He also announced changes to the future handling of intelligence, including making clear warnings about its limits.

Lord Butler said much of the pre-war intelligence on Iraq was unreliable.

Tuesday's five hour debate, which has just begun, will see Tory leader Michael Howard clash with Blair.

Last week Lord Butler criticised the way the intelligence was presented in the dossier and by Blair to Parliament, saying it might have given the impression of the intelligence being "firmer and fuller" than it was.

The report also revealed some intelligence on Iraq's weapons had now been withdrawn because it was unreliable.

Blair is likely to be questioned on Downing Street's assertion that he only discovered the intelligence had been withdrawn as a result of the Butler inquiry.

The inquiry said there was no evidence of "deliberate distortion or culpable negligence" in the treatment of pre-war intelligence.

But it did raise concerns about Blair's style of government and his emphasis on un-minuted and informal meetings.

Despite the criticisms of the intelligence, the prime minister told the Commons there was "no doubt" from the intelligence assessments that Saddam had the intent, programmes and weapons of mass destruction themselves.

The international community had backed that view in United Nations resolution 1441.

Blair said: "Whatever the situation with actual readily deployable weapons, part of the problem with this is that people have now gone to the other extreme and said there was no threat. That was not the case."

In what is already emerging as a testy debate, Blair was challenged by Howard that the intelligence was branded "sporadic and patchy" by the JIC.

The prime minister countered that the "sporadic" judgement had come in an earlier assessment.

Blair said he fully accepted there had been errors but the decision to go to war had not been a mistake.