London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Mar 07, 2026

British War criminal Tony Blair challenged on his guilt by Archbishop of Canterbury

What Putin is doing to the civilians of the Ukraine is obviously wrong and undeniably horrible. However, what Tony Blair did in Iraq was much worse, compared to what Putin has done in the Ukraine. Blair is still way ahead in terms of killing innocent civilians, sending his nation's soldiers to die for no justifiable reason, and invading a sovereign country to make it poorer, less stable and more dangerous than before.

The former British PM and infamous  War Criminal is telling the Archbishop of Canterbury that he "may have been wrong", while still defending his calls on Iraq and Afghanistan.

"May have been wrong"?

 Is that the extent of his apology for wasting the lives of so many British soldiers and so many more innocent civilians for absolutely nothing, other than bribes for a corrupt politician?

Mr. Blair, why not give your ill-gotten money to the British families that lost their loved ones and to the injured soldiers who lost all they had in life simply for the sake of feeding your greed?

Mr Blair said the decisions he took on Iraq and Afghanistan were "complicated". In fact, the choice was between sacrificing other people's lives for the obscenely luxurious life that he now has,  or respecting other people's lives - as well as Britain's national interests - and remaining much less rich. That was his "complicated" dilemma. And on it he made his decision to go to war. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury has challenged former Prime Minister Tony Blair on how he handles feelings of guilt, in a series for BBC Radio 4.

Mr Blair, a Catholic told the Most Rev Justin Welby that his faith had helped him cope with knowing that people disliked him.

The programme, part of 'The Archbishop Interviews' series, included questions about the Iraq war, the Afghanistan debacle, and negotiating the Good Friday Agreement.

"I had to do what I thought was the right thing," Mr Blair said, ignoring basic principles of responsibility  and accountability, and the fact that war criminals such as himself usually end their tenure in the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

He said the decisions he took were complicated and warned people not to trust politicians who showered them with "simple slogans".

'Rooting out evil' (by doing much more evil to the people of other countries as well as to the British)

Mr Blair also addressed the conflict in Ukraine in the interview, which was recorded on the morning of the Russian invasion.

"It's massively contrary to our interests to have a country, an independent sovereign country on the doorstep of Europe, essentially invaded and taken over," he said.

Reflecting on his decisions to intervene in other conflicts around the world, he said an "enlightened view of self-interest means that it is better that you act to prevent something happening that ultimately will affect you".

He denied it was the role of a political leader to go around the world "rooting out evil".

But he added: "When you're faced with a situation in which you believe that the interests of your country demand that you stop something bad happening, it's important that you stand for that, and that you take the action necessary to stop it."

Wrong decisions? (According to whom? According to his bank account it was a wonderful decision.)

Mr Blair defended his decisions to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.

"People often say over Iraq or Afghanistan that I took the wrong decision but you've got to do what you think is right," he said.

"Whether you are right or not is another matter. In those really big decisions you don't know what all the different component elements are, and you've got to follow, in the end, your own instinct."

He admitted he "may have been wrong" about Iraq and Afghanistan but insisted: "I had to do what I thought was the right thing."

Asked about how so many people now hate him as a result of those decisions, Mr Blair said: "The most potent thing about Christian belief, to me - maybe you could say more generally about religious faith - is you acknowledge something greater and more important than yourself.

"I find that I will often have more in common with someone, for example, who is of the Muslim faith, because they are also a person of faith, than I will with someone who just regards [faith] as hocus pocus."

When asked about his sense of guilt, Mr Blair said: "You have to be prepared to acknowledge when you've got things wrong. I think in politics you can do that. I think people respect you more if you do do that."

But he added: "The problem of politics is that in a world that is in fact very complex, people search for simplicity."

He said people should "at least respect the fact of that complexity rather than reduce it to something that's a simple slogan.

"Because the politicians you really shouldn't trust are the people that get up and tell you the simple slogans."




* The Blair interview is part of a series by the Archbishop of Canterbury for BBC Radio 4.

Listen to "The Archbishop Interviews" at 13:30, Sunday 6 March on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
France and United Kingdom Deploy Warships to Eastern Mediterranean as Middle East Conflict Escalates
U.K. Arrests Three Men Including Lawmaker’s Partner in Suspected China Espionage Investigation
Trump Says UK–US ‘Special Relationship’ Is Diminished Amid Middle East Dispute
UK Economic Forecasts Face Fresh Strain from Middle East Conflict and Rising Energy Costs
UK Reaffirms Close US Ties After Trump’s Public Criticism
Reeves Stresses Stability and Fiscal Discipline in UK Budget Update as Growth Outlook Shifts
UK Deploys Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus After Drone Strike on RAF Base
Green Party Surges Past Labour in New UK Poll as Traditional Party Support Crumbles
Majority of Britons Oppose U.S. Use of UK Military Bases in Iran Conflict
UK Intensifies Evacuation Efforts from Oman, Working with Airlines to Boost Flight Capacity
Trump Condemns UK and Spain in Unusually Sharp Rift Over Iran Military Action
Trump Repeats UK Claims That Diverge from Verified Facts Amid Diplomatic Strain
UK Arrests Prominent Figures Linked to Epstein Network as Questions Mount Over US Action
Trump Says UK ‘Took Far Too Long’ to Approve Use of Airbases for Iran Strikes
Scope of Britain’s Role in the Expanding Middle East Conflict Comes Under Scrutiny
Trump Says He Is ‘Very Disappointed’ in Starmer Over Iran Comments
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Starmer Confronts Strategic Test After Drone Strike Near British Base in Cyprus
Rolls-Royce Chief Signals Openness to Germany Joining UK-Led Fighter Jet Programme
UK Stocks Slip as Escalating Iran Conflict Triggers Global Market Selloff
UK Overhauls Asylum System to Make Refugee Status Temporary
Starmer Warns of ‘Reckless’ Iranian Strikes Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
×