JACK Straw has defended the “difficult” decision to go to war with Iraq and his involvement in it.

The former Blackburn MP spoke after the publication of the Chilcot Report into the 2003 conflict.

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Despite its conclusions that Prime Minster Tony Blair and the intelligence services overstated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, the ex-Foreign Secretary said he backed military action “in good faith”.

Admitting “with the benefit of hindsight, different decisions would have been made”, Mr Straw said: “In the end I came to the conclusion that military action was necessary.”

Sir John Chilcot’s 12-volume report said the war “went badly wrong, with consequences to this day”.

He made no judgment on its legality but found the process by which Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said it was justified “far from satisfactory”.

Sir John said: “The point had not been reached where military action was the last resort.”

He said the case for war was presented with “a certainty which was not justified” based on “flawed” intelligence about Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) which went unchallenged.

It reveals a private note from Mr Blair to US President George Bush in July 2002, promising “I will be with you whatever” was not shared with Mr Straw until after it was sent.

The report also reveals negotiations between Mr Blair and Lord Goldsmith on the legal issue were not shared with Mr Straw.

Mr Straw said: “The judgement to take military action in respect of Iraq was by far and away the most serious decision in which I was ever involved.

“The consequences will live with me for the rest of my life.

“The inquiry does not support two of the most serious accusations: that Parliament and the public were wilfully misled about the intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction, and that the decision to take military action was unlawful.

“Difficult decisions were made in good faith, based on the evidence available at the time – and only after strenuous efforts had been made by me and many others to pursue a diplomatic resolution.

“For the record, I did not take the intelligence about WMD I received at face value, but questioned those providing it about its accuracy and its provenance.

“In the end I came to the conclusion that military action was necessary if all other means failed.

“In March 2003, I concluded that it was a last resort.

“I acknowledge the inquiry says that the point of ‘last resort’ had not been reached, but that was not how I saw matters at the time.

“With the benefit of hindsight, different decisions would have been made on Iraq but the decisions can only properly be judged in the context of the time.

“I take full responsibility for all those I made.”

Alastair Campbell, a prominent Burnley fan and then No 10 Downing Street director of communications, said Chilcot had cleared him of “sexing up” a Government dossier on Iraq’s WMD.

Mr Campbell insisted Mr Blair did everything he could to prevent war and the world was ‘a better place’ for the removal of Saddam Hussein.