Soldiers' families to sue Blair

Iraq refused to go away as an election issue today with relatives of dead troops heading for Downing Street to launch legal action against Tony Blair.

The delegation was giving the Prime Minister notice of its court challenge as Labour struggled to deal with the death of the 87th British soldier in the conflict and its aftermath.

The widow of Anthony Wakefield, killed at the weekend by a roadside bomb, blamed Mr Blair personally for his death. Amid fresh evidence Mr Blair had decided to back George Bush well before the war, the brother of murdered hostage Ken Bigley also said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had tried to manipulate him to help out Labour.

The Prime Minister last night said he had “given up” trying to persuade people of his case for war in Iraq as he received yet another grilling by a live TV audience. The relatives of British servicemen killed in Iraq were officially launching their bid to take legal action under the European Convention on Human Rights.

They said their determination had been fuelled by last week’s publication of the advice given to Mr Blair by the Attorney-General just before the conflict started. Lord Goldsmith warned only two weeks before the war that the Government could be open to a legal hallenge if it didn’t get a further UN mandate for the conflict.

Among those delivering the letter will be Rose Gentle, who is standing in the General Election against Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram. The Stop The War Coalition said there were also plans to take a private prosecution against the Prime Minister. Yesterday Mr Wakefield, 24, from 1st Battalion-The Coldstream Guards, died after a home-made bomb exploded while he was on patrol near the southern Iraqi town of Al Amarah.

Guardsman Wakefield was the first soldier killed on duty in the British-controlled southern sector of Iraq since an ambush on a military convoy close to Basra last September.

His widow, Ann Toward, said he should never have been sent to Iraq and their children had been deprived of a father.

Asked directly on ITV News Channel if she blamed Mr Blair, Ms Toward replied: “Yes. He sent the troops over and he should not have done it.

“If it was not for that, their dad would have been here today.” But she added: “He loved the job. He said it was his job to go to Iraq.”

Earlier, Mr Blair had sent his “profound condolences” to the family and admitted deaths of British soldiers was “a deeply heavy responsibility”. Speakingon ITV1’s Dimbleby programme, the Prime Minister was repeatedly criticised over Iraq, prompting him to say: “I’ve given up believing I can persuade people over this — I don’t care if people criticise me on it, but I did it honestly.”

Paul Bigley, brother of hostage Ken Bigley, added to the pressure on Labour by
revealing Mr Straw had urged him to speak up for the party.

Mr Bigley said he had apologised to Mr Straw at his brother’s memorial service for attacking him personally. “Jack Straw replied ‘not at all, no offence taken’.

“He then pulled me aside and whispered ‘Oh, by the way Paul, you have a rapport with the media. Do you think the next time you are on air you could mention this fact, reiterate it, you know apologise because Mr Blair is rather concerned about his re-election chances’.”