:00:00. > :00:08.The official verdict on Britain's involvement in the Iraq War, 13
:00:09. > :00:16.The decision to invade was made on the basis of unreliable
:00:17. > :00:20.intelligence and before the peaceful alternatives had been exhausted,
:00:21. > :00:27.The UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options
:00:28. > :00:37.Military action at that time was not a last resort.
:00:38. > :00:41.179 British service personnel died in the conflict.
:00:42. > :00:44.Today the families expressed their dismay and, in some
:00:45. > :00:50.There is one terrorist in this world the world needs to be aware of,
:00:51. > :01:03.But Tony Blair defended the decision to invade,
:01:04. > :01:06.while acknowledging that mistakes were made at that time,
:01:07. > :01:11.I express more sorrow, regret, and apology than you may
:01:12. > :01:19.I can look not just the families of this country but the nation
:01:20. > :01:21.in the eye and say, I did not mislead this country,
:01:22. > :01:24.I made a decision in good faith on the information I had
:01:25. > :01:30.We'll have reaction from politicians, the forces families,
:01:31. > :01:44.The remarkable Welsh run at Euro 2016 comes to an end,
:01:45. > :01:47.beaten 2-0 by Portugal in the semi-finals.
:01:48. > :01:48.Disappointment for thousands of Welsh fans but pride
:01:49. > :01:55.at the team's record achievement in a major competition.
:01:56. > :01:58.And, at Wimbledon, Andy Murray is through to the semi-final
:01:59. > :02:04.Coming up later in the hour on BBC News, we will have a detailed look
:02:05. > :02:08.at the semifinal between Wales and Portugal in Euro 2016 Sportsday.
:02:09. > :02:30.We'll also have the rest of the day's sports news.
:02:31. > :02:33.13 years after the invasion of Iraq,
:02:34. > :02:35.the Chilcot Report has delivered a searing verdict
:02:36. > :02:37.on Britain's involvement, and the way in which Tony
:02:38. > :02:41.Blair's Government made the decision to take part.
:02:42. > :02:44.Mr Blair has expressed deep regret for the loss of life
:02:45. > :02:48.but insisted the decision to invade was the right one.
:02:49. > :02:50.The inquiry concluded that military action was not "the last resort"
:02:51. > :02:58.It said the decision to invade was based on "flawed intelligence."
:02:59. > :03:00.It said the planning for the war, and for Iraq's future,
:03:01. > :03:06.And it said the military operation ended "a long way from success"
:03:07. > :03:10.Tonight we'll have reaction from politicians, from families,
:03:11. > :03:14.But, first tonight, our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg,
:03:15. > :03:21.Are you expecting criticism today, Mr Blair?
:03:22. > :03:42.And the man who took longer than the Iraq War itself to judge
:03:43. > :03:55.Then, not a sound in the Westminster conference centre where the Chilcot
:03:56. > :03:59.evidence was heard and where the families waited for a final few
:04:00. > :04:07.seconds for the verdict that has taken seven years.
:04:08. > :04:12.We have concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before
:04:13. > :04:17.the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted.
:04:18. > :04:23.Military action at that time was not a last resort.
:04:24. > :04:31.The judgments about the severity of the threat imposed by Iraq's
:04:32. > :04:36.weapons of mass destruction, WMD, were presented with a certainty
:04:37. > :04:42.Despite explicit warnings, the consequences of the invasion
:04:43. > :04:46.were underestimated, the planning and preparations
:04:47. > :04:53.for Iraq after Saddam Hussein were wholly inadequate.
:04:54. > :04:58.The Government failed to achieve its stated objectives.
:04:59. > :05:02.He found no evidence of deceit but simply the case
:05:03. > :05:17.And he found a woeful lack of forethought for British forces
:05:18. > :05:37.But were troops sent into an illegal war?
:05:38. > :05:41.Nowhere in the 2.5 million words of this report
:05:42. > :05:51.The inquiry suggests the conflict might have broken the law.
:05:52. > :05:56.The circumstances in which it was decided that there was a legal basis
:05:57. > :06:00.for UK military action were far from satisfactory.
:06:01. > :06:15.And the report catalogued the growing determination
:06:16. > :06:20.of Tony Blair and George Bush to take on Saddam Hussein.
:06:21. > :06:23.At the Bush ranch in 2002, a strategy for a UN
:06:24. > :06:29.ultimatum, or Saddam would face the consequences.
:06:30. > :06:33.A couple of months later, in a previously-unseen note,
:06:34. > :06:36.Blair wrote, "I will be with you whatever," still urging
:06:37. > :06:42.By September, flawed intelligence led to this claim.
:06:43. > :06:50.Which could be activated within 45 minutes.
:06:51. > :06:53.But his determination was stronger than diplomacy.
:06:54. > :06:58.By mid-March, the talking was over, the war had begun.
:06:59. > :07:01.Tonight, British servicemen and women are engaged from air,
:07:02. > :07:07.To remove Saddam Hussein from power and disarm Iraq.
:07:08. > :07:11.A rapid toppling of the regime that quickly turned to failure.
:07:12. > :07:14.Hopes of an easy transition that turned to dust.
:07:15. > :07:20.British forces without the basics they needed, humiliated,
:07:21. > :07:30.But Tony Blair, who made the decisions, was full
:07:31. > :07:36.of sorrow and regret, but still thinks he was right.
:07:37. > :07:39.The decision to go to war in Iraq, and to remove Saddam Hussein
:07:40. > :07:45.from power in a coalition of over 40 countries led by the United States
:07:46. > :07:51.of America, was the hardest, most momentous, most agonising
:07:52. > :07:57.decision I took in my ten years as British Prime Minister.
:07:58. > :08:07.For that decision today, I accept full responsibility.
:08:08. > :08:11.Without exception and without excuse, the intelligence assessments
:08:12. > :08:18.made at the time of going to war turned out to be wrong.
:08:19. > :08:23.The aftermath turned out to be more hostile, protracted and bloody
:08:24. > :08:28.The coalition planned for one set of ground facts and
:08:29. > :08:37.A nation whose people we wanted to set free and secure from the evil
:08:38. > :08:50.of Saddam became instead victim to sectarian terrorism.
:08:51. > :09:00.For all of this, I express more sorrow, regret and apology
:09:01. > :09:04.than you may ever know, or can believe.
:09:05. > :09:06.There were no lies, there was no deceit, no deception,
:09:07. > :09:15.The decision to remove Saddam and the decision to be with America.
:09:16. > :09:18.The point about being Prime Minister is you are the decision maker.
:09:19. > :09:21.You sit in the seat and take the decision.
:09:22. > :09:25.Your obligation to the country is to take it as you believe it to be.
:09:26. > :09:27.This report is a devastating catalogue of the failures
:09:28. > :09:31.of your Government and paints a very clear picture of a Prime Minister
:09:32. > :09:35.who was determined to act with the United States,
:09:36. > :09:42.Do you understand the sentiments of some of the families who believe
:09:43. > :09:45.you ought not just to have said sorry a long time ago
:09:46. > :09:48.but that now you should face some kind of punishment?
:09:49. > :09:56.I took the decision after 9/11, we should be America's closest ally.
:09:57. > :10:02.In the end, what more can I do than to say to people this is why
:10:03. > :10:07.If you disagree with me, fine, but please stop saying I was lying
:10:08. > :10:10.or I had some sort of dishonest or underhand motive.
:10:11. > :10:23.Some moments of decision, moments of protest barely last.
:10:24. > :10:27.Some stir anger and anguish and will never be forgotten.
:10:28. > :10:31.The Iraq inquiry may suggest once and for all this was never
:10:32. > :10:41.Sir John Chilcot said that plans for any future
:10:42. > :10:44.military interventions should be calculated,
:10:45. > :10:45.debated and challenged, in stark contrast to
:10:46. > :10:52.Sir John's report runs to 2 and a half million words
:10:53. > :10:54.and covers every aspect of the decision-making,
:10:55. > :10:55.the military operation, and the aftermath.
:10:56. > :10:58.Nicholas Witchell has been looking in more detail.
:10:59. > :11:02.For month after month, some of the most senior
:11:03. > :11:04.figures in the land, ministers, civil servants, military
:11:05. > :11:07.leaders and intelligence chiefs, came to give evidence.
:11:08. > :11:10.From their testimony, and many thousands of documents,
:11:11. > :11:14.Sir John Chilcot has distilled his conclusions.
:11:15. > :11:18.It is on the use of intelligence that he offers some of his most
:11:19. > :11:24.It is now clear that policy on Iraq was made on the basis of flawed
:11:25. > :11:31.They were not challenged, and they should have been.
:11:32. > :11:35.In the House of Commons on 24th September 2002, Mr Blair talked up
:11:36. > :11:40.the credibility of the intelligence he was being given.
:11:41. > :11:44.It is extensive, detailed and authoritative.
:11:45. > :11:46.According to Mr Blair, Saddam Hussein could activate his
:11:47. > :11:51.chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes.
:11:52. > :11:56.The judgments about Iraq's capabilities in that statement
:11:57. > :11:59.and in the dossier published the same day were presented with
:12:00. > :12:08.Not only was intelligence flawed, so too were the discussions
:12:09. > :12:16.The Attorney General at the time was Lord Peter Goldsmith,
:12:17. > :12:19.but it is clear from the report that time and again the Cabinet
:12:20. > :12:23.was denied a chance to hear his detailed arguments.
:12:24. > :12:28.One such occasion was a matter of weeks before the invasion began.
:12:29. > :12:31.And so to the chaos of post-invasion planning and another
:12:32. > :12:36.According to the report, Mr Blair's Government was warned
:12:37. > :12:40.explicitly of the risk that an invasion would destabilise Iraq
:12:41. > :12:46.And, as British forces faced the growing Iraqi insurrection,
:12:47. > :12:51.the Government failed to equip them properly.
:12:52. > :12:55.We have found that the Ministry of Defence was slow in responding
:12:56. > :13:00.to the threat from improvised explosive devices and that delays
:13:01. > :13:04.in providing adequate medium-weight protected patrol vehicles should not
:13:05. > :13:12.Britain's invasion of Iraq has been minutely scrutinised.
:13:13. > :13:15.Sir John Chilcot has found that it was an unwarranted invasion,
:13:16. > :13:18.based on flawed intelligence, with insufficient discussion
:13:19. > :13:24.It was an intervention which he said had caused anguish and suffering
:13:25. > :13:31.The evidence is there for all to see.
:13:32. > :13:35.It is an account of an intervention which went badly wrong,
:13:36. > :13:46.Nicholas Witchell, BBC News, at the Iraq Inquiry.
:13:47. > :13:49.The Chilcot Report estimates that more than 150,000 people died
:13:50. > :13:55.in Iraq during the war and, in the years that followed,
:13:56. > :13:58.there were 179 losses for the British Armed Forces
:13:59. > :14:00.and many of the families had campaigned for an inquiry,
:14:01. > :14:02.so that they could get some definitive answers
:14:03. > :14:06.about the path to war and the subsequent campaign.
:14:07. > :14:07.Our special correspondent, Fergal Keane, reports
:14:08. > :14:15.on the families' reaction to the Chilcot Report.
:14:16. > :14:17.The bereaved have endured seven years of painful waiting
:14:18. > :14:23.Debbie Allbutt and her son Connor were on their way to hear
:14:24. > :14:29.Steven Allbutt, husband and father, was killed in Iraq in 2003.
:14:30. > :14:33.In the last few days, the trauma has returned.
:14:34. > :14:36.It has brought a lot of memories back.
:14:37. > :14:39.I have had nightmares, that I saw Steve.
:14:40. > :14:43.I saw him in a shop, it was a nightmare.
:14:44. > :14:51.I am just hoping we find out why we went in and why we went
:14:52. > :14:56.In his last letter to his children, Steve wrote of how he loved them.
:14:57. > :15:00."Sorry, I can't tell you when I will be home," he said.
:15:01. > :15:03.The pain will always be there, even when I am 60, the pain will be
:15:04. > :15:09.there, because I never had a childhood with my dad.
:15:10. > :15:11.In the quiet of nearby Westminster Abbey, former SAS man
:15:12. > :15:17.John Brown was remembering his son, Nick, also an SAS trooper.
:15:18. > :15:22.He wanted answers about the justification for going to war.
:15:23. > :15:25.We want to know what the inquiry says about the entry,
:15:26. > :15:35.I know they did not have an exit strategy.
:15:36. > :15:39.The families were invited to meet Sir John Chilcot and read
:15:40. > :15:45.The families came here looking for the truth that named names
:15:46. > :15:51.Well, they've now had a chance to consider
:15:52. > :15:57.The families gathered here trust that we speak with honour
:15:58. > :16:01.and honesty on behalf of the families of all other
:16:02. > :16:04.servicemen and women who died in the second Iraq War.
:16:05. > :16:07.The families say they will study the conclusions and decide
:16:08. > :16:09.whether to launch legal action against Tony Blair.
:16:10. > :16:16.I'm going back to that time when I learned that my brother had
:16:17. > :16:21.been killed, and there is one terrorist in this world
:16:22. > :16:24.that the world needs to be aware of, and his name is Tony Blair.
:16:25. > :16:30.But there was a welcome for the report's findings
:16:31. > :16:36.What is your reaction to what you heard?
:16:37. > :16:40.Amazed, I didn't expect it to be as good an outcome, really.
:16:41. > :16:45.I thought we would have a bit of a cover up or something.
:16:46. > :16:49.Sir John Chilcot has done us a good job.
:16:50. > :16:52.I'm really, really pleased with the outcome.
:16:53. > :16:56.It's good news, but at the same time it's bad news as well,
:16:57. > :16:59.because I think if Tony Blair wasn't the Prime Minister at the time,
:17:00. > :17:02.I think my dad could still have been here today.
:17:03. > :17:05.Some watched proceedings from home and did not feel comforted.
:17:06. > :17:09.This woman's son was killed when his Snatch Land Rover was hit
:17:10. > :17:17.Tony Blair said, "George Bush, I am with you all the way."
:17:18. > :17:21.Did he think about what he said when he said that?
:17:22. > :17:27.Had he discussed this with his Parliament?
:17:28. > :17:30.The former SAS man John Brown watched Tony Blair's
:17:31. > :17:44.For all of this, I express more sorrow, regret and apology...
:17:45. > :18:04.He knows that he's up the wall and it comes to the Chilcot inquiry.
:18:05. > :18:07.The Chilcot Report has not given the families all the answers
:18:08. > :18:09.they sought, but it has restored some measure of their faith
:18:10. > :18:18.Our defence correspondent, Jonathan Beale, is at
:18:19. > :19:22.They were killed in these inadequate vehicles. Sir John says he could
:19:23. > :19:27.not, after seven years, identify an individual that was responsible for
:19:28. > :19:31.the delays in replacing them. He has also identified a cultural problem
:19:32. > :19:36.within the military. That is their can-do spirit. Although it has many
:19:37. > :19:39.benefits, it prevented them from speaking truth to power. When things
:19:40. > :19:45.went wrong, they simply did not speak out.
:19:46. > :19:47.Today's report concluded that intelligence reports
:19:48. > :19:53.Sir John said evidence gathered had not established "beyond doubt"
:19:54. > :19:56.that Saddam Hussein had continued to produce chemical
:19:57. > :20:01.Our security correspondent, Gordon Corera, analyses
:20:02. > :20:09.Today's report made tough reading for Britain's spies.
:20:10. > :20:10.Criticising the reliability of their intelligence
:20:11. > :20:16.and the way politicians put it to use.
:20:17. > :20:18.Failures which should never be repeated, according to the man who
:20:19. > :20:21.led the previous inquiry into weapons of mass destruction.
:20:22. > :20:23.I think the mistake was to use intelligence
:20:24. > :20:31.as a means of persuasion of the United Nations
:20:32. > :20:42.Of the United Nations, of our nation, to justify the war and when
:20:43. > :20:44.you mix up political persuasion and intelligence, then that's very
:20:45. > :20:55.dangerous because intelligence ought to be objective.
:20:56. > :20:57.But was it objective? Released in the feverish atmosphere of September
:20:58. > :20:59.2002, the Government's dossier was central to its case for war. Spies
:21:00. > :21:03.had been desperately hunting for intelligence to put in it and MI6
:21:04. > :21:06.told Ministers it had found a crucial new agent who had direct
:21:07. > :21:13.knowledge of chemical weapons production. He said they were stored
:21:14. > :21:18.in glass spheres looking just like this.
:21:19. > :21:21.But the agent it soon emerged had based his reports on watching this
:21:22. > :21:25.Hollywood film, real chemical weapons aren't stored this way.
:21:26. > :21:30.Other agents like the one who talked of weapons that could be fired in 45
:21:31. > :21:35.minutes were also making it up. Failing to spot fake intelligence
:21:36. > :21:40.was just one of the failures. The spies were also accused today of not
:21:41. > :21:43.challenging Tony Blair when he said their intelligence was beyond doubt,
:21:44. > :21:49.when the reality was far less conclusive.
:21:50. > :21:54.And even as inspectors scoured Iraq and found nothing, the spies did not
:21:55. > :22:00.reassess their belief that weapons of mass destruction were there.
:22:01. > :22:05.Everyone was very busy. The wheels of war were clearly turning. The
:22:06. > :22:08.joint intelligence committee had other priorities. But we can now see
:22:09. > :22:14.that perhaps we should have done that. The intelligence failures were
:22:15. > :22:16.consequential and today's inquiry say they left a damming legacy of
:22:17. > :22:22.mistrust. The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn,
:22:23. > :22:25.who voted against the war in Iraq in 2003 apologised this afternoon
:22:26. > :22:27.on behalf of his party for what he called the disastrous
:22:28. > :22:30.decision to invade Iraq. Other Labour figures
:22:31. > :22:32.who were involved in the decision in government have been
:22:33. > :22:34.giving their response to the report's findings,
:22:35. > :22:36.as our deputy political editor A million and more demonstrated
:22:37. > :22:44.against the invasion and Jeremy Corbyn was with them, and they have
:22:45. > :22:46.condemned it ever since. He never imagined then
:22:47. > :22:48.he would be Labour leader. But he is, and today,
:22:49. > :22:51.finally, Mr Corbyn seized Politicians and political parties
:22:52. > :22:57.can only grow stronger by acknowledging when
:22:58. > :22:59.they get it wrong. So, I now apologise sincerely
:23:00. > :23:05.on behalf of my party for the disastrous decision
:23:06. > :23:08.to go to war in Iraq. No confessions of blame though
:23:09. > :23:10.from the decision-makers behind the invasion,
:23:11. > :23:12.although Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary then, admits better
:23:13. > :23:17.post-war planning might have avoided at least some of Iraq's
:23:18. > :23:20.post-war chaos. What do you say to the families
:23:21. > :23:24.of British servicemen, among others, who have lost loved
:23:25. > :23:27.ones as a result of the mistakes I say to them, first of all,
:23:28. > :23:33.that I grieve for them. They may say, it is easy
:23:34. > :23:35.for Jack Straw to say I have deepest sympathy for those
:23:36. > :23:41.who lost loved ones. And I feel a great burden
:23:42. > :23:44.for that and I should do. Because I participated
:23:45. > :23:52.in the decisions to put particularly young British men and women
:23:53. > :23:55.in the Armed Forces in harm's way. Some of them lost their lives
:23:56. > :23:58.or were maimed for life. No apology from Tony Blair's
:23:59. > :24:00.communications chief, who No need according
:24:01. > :24:09.to Alastair Campbell. There was no lying, there was no
:24:10. > :24:12.deceit, no sexing up There was no secret deal
:24:13. > :24:16.at Crawford with Bush. What's more, the processes,
:24:17. > :24:19.yes, they could have been improved but ultimately
:24:20. > :24:21.it was about the decision. He took the decision he made in good
:24:22. > :24:24.faith and he will, for the rest of his life,
:24:25. > :24:27.stand or fall by that. The anti-war protesters
:24:28. > :24:32.won't forget or forgive. The Chilcot Report has not settled
:24:33. > :24:34.arguments, nothing could. The violence, which erupted in Iraq
:24:35. > :24:43.in 2003, has continued to this day. And Sir John Chilcot,
:24:44. > :24:45.in today's statement, underlined the suffering
:24:46. > :24:47.of the Iraqi people, including a million
:24:48. > :24:52.forced from their homes. As our Middle East editor,
:24:53. > :24:54.Jeremy Bowen, reports from Baghdad, the war sent shockwaves,
:24:55. > :24:56.which are still being felt The people of Baghdad,
:24:57. > :25:06.and the rest of Iraq, are still living and dying
:25:07. > :25:08.with the consequences Security is being beefed up yet
:25:09. > :25:15.again after the bomb that killed But the fear of a sudden random
:25:16. > :25:26.death is never far away. When the US forces reached Baghdad
:25:27. > :25:29.in April 2003 pictures of them helping Iraqis topple
:25:30. > :25:32.a statue of Saddam Hussein Hadi Al Jabari started knocking
:25:33. > :25:41.lumps out of the plinth to celebrate Now, like many Iraqis,
:25:42. > :25:47.he's nostalgic for the brutal TRANSLATION: Saddam has gone
:25:48. > :25:54.and we have 1,000 Saddams now. If Tony Blair was here this morning
:25:55. > :25:58.what would you say to him? I would say to him you are
:25:59. > :26:06.a criminal and I'd spit in his face. Less than an hour's drive
:26:07. > :26:11.from Baghdad these are Iraqi Shia militiamen trained and equipped
:26:12. > :26:14.by Iran, attacking Chilcot says the British Government
:26:15. > :26:22.ignored a warning that removing Saddam would offer
:26:23. > :26:28.Iran an opening in Iraq. Captured IS positions seem to have
:26:29. > :26:33.been prepared by trained soldiers, IS commanders include former Iraqi
:26:34. > :26:42.officers who joined the jihadists when the US and Britain dissolved
:26:43. > :26:45.the Iraqi Army. Not all the chaos, violence and war
:26:46. > :26:48.in the Middle East at the moment can be traced back to the invasion
:26:49. > :26:51.of Iraq in 2003 but an It was like throwing a great
:26:52. > :27:01.big rock into a pond. It sent out shockwaves -
:27:02. > :27:03.geopolitical, religiously sectarian, military and, 13 years later,
:27:04. > :27:09.they are still crashing Warnings about internal strife,
:27:10. > :27:16.regional instability and the rise of jihadists were also ignored
:27:17. > :27:22.by Number 10 says Chilcot. Iraq's sectarian violence spread
:27:23. > :27:32.to Syria, Yemen and elsewhere as leaders used and abused
:27:33. > :27:39.Shia-Sunni fears to fight for power. Jihadists were on the attack before
:27:40. > :27:43.the invasion but Iraq after 2003 offered al-Qaeda a haven
:27:44. > :27:49.and launchpad that Islamic So if you have been walking through,
:27:50. > :27:54.for instance, a bit of water Small numbers of British troops,
:27:55. > :27:59.filmed on condition they weren't identified, are back here training
:28:00. > :28:01.Iraqi soldiers to fight IS, Their commander
:28:02. > :28:06.was in Basra in 2007. We are not here in
:28:07. > :28:09.a combat role now. We are here at the invitation
:28:10. > :28:12.of the Government of Iraq and we are working very much hand
:28:13. > :28:15.in hand with the Iraqi security forces to help them
:28:16. > :28:19.in their defeat of Daesh. At this base Australians
:28:20. > :28:21.and New Zealanders It's a long way from Basra
:28:22. > :28:27.and what Chilcot calls the humiliating end
:28:28. > :28:29.of an intervention that Our world affairs editor,
:28:30. > :28:44.John Simpson, is with me. When you consider all the major
:28:45. > :28:47.foreign policy decisions taken, let's say since the Second World
:28:48. > :28:53.War, where does this decision to invade Iraq fit in? Well, I am
:28:54. > :29:00.afraid it fits in with some of the very worst. The decision to invade
:29:01. > :29:06.Egypt to try to keep control of the Suez canal in 1956 which effectively
:29:07. > :29:11.brought British colonialism to a full stop, I would rate it also with
:29:12. > :29:16.the Soviet decision to invade Afghanistan at the end of 1979 from
:29:17. > :29:21.which the Soviet Union never properly recovered. I think America
:29:22. > :29:26.has suffered very, very heavily in its reputation as a result. I think
:29:27. > :29:33.Britain's reputation has suffered simply because it's obvious that we
:29:34. > :29:36.played no serious part in the planning and organisation and the
:29:37. > :29:42.whole idea of the follow-through. British officials had some clear
:29:43. > :29:44.ideas, they knew Iraq in a way the Americans didn't, made no
:29:45. > :29:49.difference. There is one point I think which does have to be made,
:29:50. > :29:53.which is that Saddam Hussein was on a collision course with the West. He
:29:54. > :30:01.was bound to do something at some stage. But instead of allowing him
:30:02. > :30:05.to do that as he had in 1990 when he invaded Kuwait and pretty much the
:30:06. > :30:11.whole world supported the Americans in liberating u wait, instead of
:30:12. > :30:18.that the Americans went first, got in there first. I suspect that in -
:30:19. > :30:21.in fact I know, that the British and maybe the Americans thought they
:30:22. > :30:25.would find weapons of mass destruction so the whole thing would
:30:26. > :30:27.in fact be self-justifying. And, of course, they didn't. Thank you very
:30:28. > :30:34.much. And a reminder that the full details
:30:35. > :30:37.of the Chilcot Report are online. The address is bbc.co.uk/news
:30:38. > :30:39.together with reaction and analysis At Euro 2016, the remarkable run
:30:40. > :30:54.for the Wales team has ended tonight in Lyon where they were beaten 2-0
:30:55. > :31:01.by Portugal in the semifinals. It has been the best ever Welsh
:31:02. > :31:04.performance in an international competition. There were high hopes
:31:05. > :31:06.before the match that Wales would make it to the final but it was not
:31:07. > :31:15.to be. Wales have upset the odds in France
:31:16. > :31:20.in a way that has barely been believable. Chris Coleman's go for
:31:21. > :31:24.and spirited side reaching the last four of this competition, the first
:31:25. > :31:28.time in the country's history they have managed to reach the semifinal
:31:29. > :31:33.of a major tournament. They were the form team coming into the
:31:34. > :31:38.tournament. Four good wins going into tonight's game against Portugal
:31:39. > :31:40.but sadly it proved a game too far. Britain has missed out on its first
:31:41. > :31:54.finalist in a tournament since 1966. 20 years
:31:55. > :31:57.British bubble has had to wait fortnight. That is how long it has
:31:58. > :32:00.been since a home nation appeared in a semifinal. These players are in a
:32:01. > :32:02.place no home nation team had been before. This was the biggest game of
:32:03. > :32:10.their lives, the biggest in their country's history. Portugal, yet to
:32:11. > :32:17.ignite here in France, but with one of the world's it talents in their
:32:18. > :32:23.ranks, stood in the way. Wales had been forced to make changes. Two key
:32:24. > :32:27.men out through suspension but they still had Gareth Bale, quickly
:32:28. > :32:32.hunting an early breakthrough. One of those brought into the side,
:32:33. > :32:36.Leicester City's Andy King, the next to threaten. Wales in the
:32:37. > :32:41.ascendancy. Portugal yet to win a match inside 90 minute showing
:32:42. > :32:45.little and attack. That, however, would soon change after the restart.
:32:46. > :32:48.Cristiano Ronaldo living up to his billing as he towered above his
:32:49. > :32:56.opponents, an unstoppable header giving his side the lead. Just three
:32:57. > :33:04.minutes later, Nani stretching to double the advantage. Wales stumped.
:33:05. > :33:09.It could have got worse. Wayne Hennessey scrambling well to deny
:33:10. > :33:13.Portugal a third. Gareth Bale meanwhile trying desperately to drag
:33:14. > :33:21.his side back into it. Welsh hopes beginning to fade. Portugal resolute
:33:22. > :33:26.held firm. This is what it meant to be through to a second European
:33:27. > :33:31.Championship final. Wales left to reflect on what might have been. I
:33:32. > :33:36.am very proud of the team. They could not have given anymore. I
:33:37. > :33:43.would say to them, if you have given everything you have got any have
:33:44. > :33:47.come up so what? It was one too far for us tonight. One of the great
:33:48. > :33:53.stories international football has ever witnessed has come to an end.
:33:54. > :33:59.Wales go home, no doubt to a hero's welcome. The togetherness of this
:34:00. > :34:00.remarkable team has shown lit up the euros and captured imaginations in a
:34:01. > :34:04.way few thought possible. More than half of Wales' population
:34:05. > :34:07.were expected to watch And tens of thousands
:34:08. > :34:10.watched the game at We sent Sian Lloyd to soak up
:34:11. > :34:28.the atmosphere and talk with fans. The fans back home have savoured
:34:29. > :34:33.every second of Wales's journey. On the streets of Cardiff, excitement
:34:34. > :34:38.was mounting. The home of Welsh rugby transformed into a football
:34:39. > :34:45.fan zone. 27,000 tickets were available. They were all snapped up
:34:46. > :34:50.in less than two hours. The atmosphere is outstanding. People
:34:51. > :34:54.travelling far and wide, it is unbelievable. Excited, nervous.
:34:55. > :35:01.Wales football is on the up now. Ever stronger. And they work
:35:02. > :35:08.together, as they sang the national anthem in unison with the fans in
:35:09. > :35:12.France. This atmosphere is electrifying to almost as though the
:35:13. > :35:20.game is being played here, let alone 730 miles away in Lyon. Crowds
:35:21. > :35:26.gathered to watch across Wales. In the open air in Aberystwyth, the
:35:27. > :35:31.beer was flowing. From the beginning of the second half, the dream
:35:32. > :35:36.started to fade. Cristiano Ronaldo breaking Welsh hearts. Within
:35:37. > :35:42.minutes, the atmosphere sank again. Full-time and the dream was over.
:35:43. > :35:49.What we have done to get to the semifinal is outstanding. We have
:35:50. > :35:53.got this far. It has been brilliant. Wales's epic journey may have come
:35:54. > :35:56.to an end but the enthusiasm of the fans has never wavered for a team
:35:57. > :36:06.they are proud of. Let's go back to Lyon and talk to
:36:07. > :36:11.Dan. There has been fantastic team spirit. We have underlined that.
:36:12. > :36:17.Portugal, where they clearly the better team tonight? Possibly. There
:36:18. > :36:22.was always a sneaking suspicion that the extra experience and know-how
:36:23. > :36:25.may be the deciding factor. Cristiano Ronaldo winning his
:36:26. > :36:30.personal duel with Gareth Bale. No doubt the Welsh players will be
:36:31. > :36:34.sitting in the dressing room a few metres from me here, pitch side,
:36:35. > :36:38.devastated by that loss. They have done their country proud. They will
:36:39. > :36:42.go home as winners. They have been a credit to their nation. You have to
:36:43. > :36:47.remember how far this country has come in terms of football. They had
:36:48. > :36:53.to wait 58 years until now to reach the majors tournament. That is a
:36:54. > :36:58.major tournament. They are the smallest country in population terms
:36:59. > :37:01.ever to get this far in a major tournament. This team has
:37:02. > :37:05.demonstrated the importance of togetherness and team spirit. They
:37:06. > :37:09.have shown how far back and get you. There is a message for other nations
:37:10. > :37:13.who underachieve on the international stage. We have seen
:37:14. > :37:16.Leicester City reverse the established order in the Premier
:37:17. > :37:22.League and now Wales have done the same on the international stage.
:37:23. > :37:26.Sport still has the utility to surprise and delight. Thank you. --
:37:27. > :37:30.the ability. A brief look at some
:37:31. > :37:33.of the day's other news stories. The South African athlete
:37:34. > :37:35.Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in prison
:37:36. > :37:37.for murdering his girlfriend, His previous conviction
:37:38. > :37:40.for manslaughter has been The pound has fallen further on the
:37:41. > :37:43.international currency markets. It dipped below $1.28 today -
:37:44. > :37:46.for the first time since 1985 - The FTSE 100 also lost ground,
:37:47. > :37:50.as investors continued to react The Health Secretary,
:37:51. > :37:56.Jeremy Hunt, has announced that he'll impose a new contract
:37:57. > :38:00.on junior doctors in England. A deal between the government
:38:01. > :38:03.and the British Medical Association was rejected by members in a vote
:38:04. > :38:07.earlier this week. Mr Hunt said that by
:38:08. > :38:10.autumn of next year most of the profession would be
:38:11. > :38:20.on the new deal. It's been a thrilling day
:38:21. > :38:22.at Wimbledon on Centre Court, with seven-time champion
:38:23. > :38:24.Roger Federer coming back from two And Andy Murray was pushed
:38:25. > :38:28.all the way by Jo Wilfred Tsonga but held on to make it to the semi
:38:29. > :38:34.finals as Joe Wilson reports. Centre Court can fit in 15,000,
:38:35. > :38:37.and ten sets of the most Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried
:38:38. > :38:46.Tsonga put on a display here which covered every inch
:38:47. > :38:49.and every emotion, just in the first Murray won a tie-break
:38:50. > :38:51.without breaks. The second set was
:38:52. > :38:55.Murray's easily but, in the third, and he was still
:38:56. > :39:01.chasing and not always reaching. Murray missed chances
:39:02. > :39:07.in the fourth, lost that set. Now he had to summon
:39:08. > :39:15.himself, recover himself. Tomas Berdych next for Murray
:39:16. > :39:21.after a deep breath. I tried to use all my energy
:39:22. > :39:24.at the beginning of the fifth set to get myself up,
:39:25. > :39:30.tried to get the crowd pumped up. Andy Murray was epic
:39:31. > :39:34.but he was not everything. Earlier in the day, the Centre Court
:39:35. > :39:37.crowd saw another of their great Roger Federer reserves his place
:39:38. > :39:44.on Centre Court with an immaculate For two sets, his elegance
:39:45. > :39:49.was overpowered by Marin Cilic in Two sets down, Federer
:39:50. > :39:58.defied three match points, came through a 20 point tie-break
:39:59. > :40:01.in the fourth set and finished Newsnight is underway on BBC Two
:40:02. > :40:14.with more analysis and interviews Here on BBC One, it's time
:40:15. > :40:17.for the news where you are.