A petition accuses the ex-PM of war crimes, but Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says the honour is deserved.
Image source, Reuters
More than 500,000 people have signed a petition calling for former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair to have his knighthood removed.
The Labour politician, who was in power from 1997 to 2007, received the accolade in the New Year Honours List.
But the petition complains that his role in the Iraq war makes him “personally responsible” for many deaths and accuses him of “war crimes”.
However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Sir Tony “deserves” a knighthood.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the former prime minister had “vastly improved our country” and such recognition should be “straightforward”.
In the New Year Honours List, Sir Tony became a member of the Order of the Garter, England’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry, describing it as an “immense honour”.
The appointment was the personal choice of the Queen, who has up to 24 “knight and lady companions”, with current Prime Minister Boris Johnson not involved in the decision.
But a petition posted on the change.org website by Angus Scott says Sir Tony “caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom and to the very fabric of the nation’s society” while in office.
“He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes,” it adds.
“Tony Blair is the least deserving person of any public honour, particularly anything awarded by Her Majesty the Queen.”
‘Strong views’
Asked whether Sir Tony’s honour was a “thorny” issue, Sir Keir told GMB: “I don’t think it’s thorny at all. I think he deserves the honour.
“Obviously I respect the fact that people have different views. I understand there are strong views on the Iraq war. There were back at the time and there still are, but that does not detract from the fact that Tony Blair was a very successful prime minister of this country and made a huge difference to the lives of millions of people.”
The 2016 Chilcot report into the Iraq war found that Sir Tony’s government had chosen to join the US-led invasion before all peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted.
It also said planning and preparations for the country after the deposing of Saddam Hussein had been “wholly inadequate”.
Sir Tony, who was Labour leader from 1994 to 2007, won three general elections.
Of the other three living former prime ministers, only Sir John Major has received a knighthood-level honour.