Blair testifies: I would have resigned

In a packed courtroom at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Blair described the main accusation by the BBC reporter — that the government hyped the Iraqi threat — as ‘‘an absolutely fundamental charge’’. ‘‘This was an allegation that we had behaved in a way which…if true would have merited my resignation,’’ he said. Blair stood by the dossier, which said Iraq could deploy weapons of mass destruction within just 45 minutes. ‘‘We described the intelligence in a way that was perfectly justified.”

However, Blair, whose public trust ratings have plunged during the inquiry, acknowledged he was under intense pressure to make a strong case for disarming Iraq. ‘‘We had to disclose what we knew because there was an enormous clamour… it was important it (the dossier) made the best case we could have,’’ he said.

The only other serving British prime minister to appear before a judicial inquiry was John Major in 1994. That probe also concerned Iraq, and illegal arms sales to Saddam Hussein before the 1991 Gulf War. (Reuters)