Chilcot report: the key players in Iraq War Inquiry drama

These are the key figures involved in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in the hunt for Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Tony Blair

Age: 63

Then: Prime Minister

Key role: Blair’s vow to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with America after 9/11 guided him to support President George W Bush’s military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. His key role before the 2003 invasion of Iraq was to advance the case at home and internationally for toppling Saddam Hussein, advancing the belief that Iraq possessed and was developing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as a legal and moral basis.

Now: His premiership foundered after the war, weakened by bitter splits and fatally damaged by inquiries into the failure to find evidence of WMD. He left office in 2007 and became a UN special envoy to the Middle East, while simultaneously launching a business providing strategic advice to leaders, including to dictators in the Middle East. He is reportedly worth £60 million.

Jack Straw

Age: 69

Then: Foreign Secretary

Key role: A lynchpin in Tony Blair’s Cabinet during the run-up, Straw fully supported regime change in Iraq and drew on years of experience as a political fixer to persuade reluctant MPs to back the decision to invade. He used his training as a barrister to make the case at the United Nations and in Europe that force was justified.

Now: He stood down as MP for Blackburn in 2015 and was widely expected to a seat in the House of Lords after being cleared by an inquiry into cash for access allegations.

Geoff Hoon

Age: 62

Then: Defence Secretary

Key role: As the Cabinet minister responsible for the equipping and deployment of UK forces from 1999 to 2005, Hoon was closely involved in decisions during the build-up to war after 9/11 to the bloody aftermath of the invasion. Loyal to Blair, he backed military action in Iraq despite having sent a note to No 10 in 2002 that argued Iran was actually a greater threat to Britain.

Now: He stood down as an MP in 2010 after a failed coup against Gordon Brown. He is now a managing director of business at helicopter-maker AgustaWestland – a firm which landed a £1.7 billion contract when he was Defence Secretary.

Alastair Campbell

Age: 59

Then: Director of Strategy and Communications, 10 Downing Street

Key role: Blair’s infamous spin doctor masterminded the release of the “45-minute Dossier” in September 2002, highlighting a claim that Iraq could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes of a decision to do so. The document was heavily criticised when no such weapons were found to exist. BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan claimed scientist David Kelly blamed Campbell for pressure in Whitehall to “sex-up” the dossier.

Now: Campbell resigned in 2003 after the suicide of David Kelly and exhausting battles with the BBC and other broadcasters over the reporting of the war. He now works for a PR firm as a consultant and has published very detailed memoirs and some fiction.

John Scarlett

Age: 67

Then: Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee

Key role: A career spy who was once expelled from Moscow, Scarlett took “ownership” of the 45-minute dossier as head of the Whitehall body that oversees intelligence and security work. He denied being pressured to “firm up” the evidence of WMD, but the quality and presentation of intelligence was criticised at inquiries.

Now: In 2004 Scarlett was appointed head of MI6 despite the controversies, crowning his career. He left the service in 2009 and has advised a string of companies including PricewaterhouseCooper, Morgan Stanley and Statoil.

Lord [Peter] Goldsmith

Age: 66

Then: Attorney General

Key role: He was critical to Blair’s invasion plans as the man who advised the Cabinet at the 11th hour that war would be legal. Only weeks earlier he had been recommending that Britain and America should seek a fresh UN resolution to approve the action, describing this as the “safer” option. But he changed his mind and issued a memo on March 7, 2003 that said the use of force was lawful because Iraq had violated a ceasefire agreement from 1991.