British MPs have been given a date in September to debate a motion in the House of Commons to find former prime minister Tony Blair in contempt of parliament for involving the UK in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The date was agreed on Wednesday by the speaker and MPs from across seven parties led by Scottish National Party’s Alex Salmond.
The motion will say that former Labour prime minister had given “seriously misleading” statements in the House of Commons in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and should be therefore held in contempt.
The motion was launched after the Chilcot inquiry into the role of the UK in the Iraq war released a report on July 6.
Even if the motion was passed, it would be mainly symbolic as the House of Commons has not used its power to punish non-MPs for several years.
The Chilcot report offered a scathing critique of the UK government’s involvement, under Blair, in and after the invasion of Iraq.
The report said Blair had overstated the…