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Blair 'warned by 27 lawyers Iraq war was illegal'
Tony Blair was warned two months before the invasion of Iraq that it would be illegal to go to war without UN backing, it was revealed yesterday.
Senior Government lawyers told the Iraq inquiry that they advised the action had "no legal basis in international law".
Last night it was reported every one of the 27 lawyers in the department advised the war was illegal.
Yesterday Sir Michael Wood, who was the Foreign Office's chief legal adviser, told the hearing he warned the then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw an invasion would "amount to the crime of aggression".
Sir Michael said he considered resigning in protest at the decision to join the US-led attack. He described how he was sidelined after he made clear his objections to military action.