"Sir John Chilcot’s report into the decisions taken leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 stands as one of the most comprehensive ever conducted. I hope Chilcot also enables this generation of political leaders, and future generations, to avoid ever making the same mistakes again.

"The report reveals a catastrophic failure of Intelligence, with incorrect information about Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and a failure to plan for post-war stability for the Iraqi people once Saddam Hussein had been removed. My concerns at the time led me to oppose the Iraq War in 2003, and I marched against it in the national demonstration in London that year.

"Since being elected as MP in 2010 I have consistently argued that military intervention must only take place as a last resort and under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and international law. My concerns therefore led me to oppose extended military intervention in Iraq in 2014, and I resigned from Ed Miliband’s shadow government team following my decision not to support airstrikes in Iraq that year. I also voted against airstrikes in Syria in December 2015.

"The war in Iraq began over a decade ago, but the decisions taken then have had devastating consequences for the region ever since, and a generation of Iraqis has never known peace. Chilcot helps us understand better how this came to pass. Our job now is to work to rebuild public trust, and reform our institutions including the security services, civil service and Government to address the weaknesses highlighted by this report."