Tony Blair blasted by Archbishop at Iraq war service

Tony Blair came under attack from the Archbishop of Canterbury and a grieving father at a remembrance service for the Iraq war dead today.

Speaking at St Paul's Cathedral, Dr Rowan Williams attacked the former prime minister for spin tactics before the 2003 invasion and ignoring the human cost of war.

He said: "There were those among both policymakers and commentators who were able to talk about [the conflict] without really measuring the price, the cost of justice."

He added: "Perhaps we have learnt something, if only that there is a time to keep silence, a time to let go of the satisfyingly overblown language that is so tempting to human beings when war is in the air."

After the service Peter Brierley, whose son Lance Corporal Shaun Brierley, 28, was killed in March 2003, refused to shake Mr Blair's hand, saying: "You've got blood on it."

Mr Blair was ushered away and afterwards Mr Brierley, from West Yorkshire, said: "I believe Tony Blair is a war criminal. I can't bear to be in the same room as him. I can't believe he's been allowed to come to this reception."

The service was attended by hundreds of veterans, many still bearing the signs of their injuries, together with the families of the 179 troops and civilian workers who died in Iraq. They heard Dr Williams praise the work of the Armed Forces and civilian staff.

But he said the rights and wrongs of the conflict would exercise historians, moralists and international experts for many years to come.

After the service Sir Jock Stirrup, Chief of the Defence Staff, who is head of the Armed Forces, said he recognised "mistakes were made during the conflict and the years that followed".

Sir Jock added: "I think it's fair to say a lot of mistakes were made throughout the campaign by the coalition. It's fair to say some of the planning for the post-conflict phase was perhaps not as carefully thought through as it might have been."

The service, five months after the end of Operation Telic in Iraq, was also attended by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Tory leader David Cameron. Senior military figures included former heads of the Army General Sir Mike Jackson and General Sir Richard Dannatt, who is joining the Conservatives as an adviser.

After his address, Dr Williams blessed the centrepiece of the "Basra Wall", built by troops in front of the 20th Armoured Brigade's Iraq HQ to honour fallen comrades. The wall, with its brass plaques and marble centre stone, was the focal point of the memorial service in Basra on 30 April to mark the end of the British operation.

She was among the first group of families to be awarded the Elizabeth Cross by the Queen last month. This is a military honour for the relatives of service personnel killed on active service.

Lieutenant Colonel Adam Griffiths MBE, 40, of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who served in 2004, said: "It was right to reflect, the right chance to put a line underneath it. For us who have served personally it's a good chance to remember what we achieved out there."

Among the former service personnel who took part was Royal Marine lance corporal Gareth Thomas, 27, from Dorset, who said a prayer during the service. He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery in rescuing injured colleagues under fire in the early days of the conflict. He said: "I feel very proud of what we've done."